Never Too Late
by Bindy417
Summary: Haley James excelled in everything she did. Whether it was school or cheerleading, she always managed to work hard and come out on top. But when she develops feelings for her older siblings' hottie of a friend Nathan Scott, Haley finds herself in unfamili
1. Chapter 1

Never Too Late

By Bindy417

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW.

Summary: Haley James excelled in everything she did. Whether it was school or cheerleading, she always managed to work hard and come out on top. But when she develops feelings for her older siblings' hottie of a friend Nathan Scott, Haley finds herself in unfamiliar territory. She's desperate to prove that she's more than her siblings' innocent baby sister. But even with all of her hard work and strategies, will Nathan ever notice?

AN: Hey guys, so here is my new story. It's an idea that I've had in my head for a couple of months now and have been itching to write. Unlike my previous stories, it's not all written out. I know what I want to happen but I'll be writing the chapters as I go along. I'm still working on More Than Anyone and Secrets of Life (which will not be posted until after MTA is finished). So this fic is like a fun little side project for me. I can't guarantee that it'll be updated as frequently but I'll try my best.

Now, I want to stress that this isn't going to be a story where Naley are best friends. There are already many stories like that at the moment and I'm not going to do the same thing. Nor do I want to. In this fic, Naley are more like casual friends/acquaintances. They "know" each other, but they don't. This first chapter is really just a taste of the plot. The characters and their situations/backgrounds will be explained more in depth in the following chapters. So I hope you like it. Please read and review! Thanks!

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**Chapter 1**

Haley James stared intently at her reflection in the mirror. She was normally never one to care so much about appearances. She always thought that a person's character was what mattered most. But tonight was different. Haley wasn't really concerned if her personality was genuine or not. She already knew that it was. What mattered now was making sure that she looked perfect. It was her first college party, after all. She didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. It had taken a week of nonstop begging and pleading for her to get her brother and sister to agree to this. And Haley wasn't going to blow it by showing up to the place wearing some hideous outfit that just screamed "high school."

Sure, she may be graduating in a couple of weeks, but that didn't mean anything to college students. Haley wasn't naïve. She knew that her brother Matt and sister Taylor were much more experienced with the party scene than she was. But then again, the twins were two years older than her. Haley was never really the partying type. She preferred just hanging out with a small group of friends at the movies or the café where she worked. Haley liked situations where there was control. She liked to know what could and could not happen.

Parties, however, were the exact opposite. They were crazy and spontaneous. One minute people could be standing around having a good time, the next minute there was some drunk girl dancing topless on a counter in the kitchen. She recalled hearing Matt and Taylor laughing their asses off about witnessing that one. Tonight, though, Haley was going to put her trepidation aside. She was determined have some fun—although, she'd make sure to do it with her top on.

Haley shook her head clearing her thoughts as she tried to focus on the task at hand. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, once again, and began to appraise herself. Her hair looked good. The straight, honey-blonde tresses fell nicely against her shoulders. Haley glanced further down at her top. She was wearing a black, Aztec sequin jewel tunic. It didn't really show any cleavage but it seemed to fit her curves perfectly. The skinny jeans that she was wearing also appeared to hug her petite, yet slim legs in all the right places. Finally, her eyes landed on her shoes. Haley sighed while shaking her head. _These won't do._ They were just plain black flats. They didn't complete the outfit or add any flavor to it. She looked over at the clock. It was now seven thirty. She had only a half hour left until it was time to leave. _What the hell am I going to do about these shoes?_ As if on cue, Haley's bedroom door burst open. In waltzed a bubbly brunette with a wide smile and large box in her hand.

"Thank God I made it in time. There is no way in Hell that I'm letting you leave the house wearing those," her best friend Brooke Davis declared. Haley had known Brooke since they were eight. They'd been in the same class for second grade. Brooke had moved to their small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina from Los Angeles, California. Right away Haley could tell that she was different. Brooke was always smiling and talking a mile a minute. Not many people in Tree Hill were that peppy all of the time. Haley often called her "Tigger" since she was so bouncy. But they were qualities that Haley loved about her. No matter what, Brooke could always make her smile.

"Actually, I agree with you. These shoes suck," Haley replied.

"Well, lucky for you, I figured something like this would happen. So I brought a few pairs of mine with me," she stated. "But when you come to California with me this summer, we are definitely shopping and updating your wardrobe."

"_If_ I go," Haley stressed. Although Brooke's family had moved to Tree Hill, they still kept their house back in Los Angeles. Brooke's father was a successful business man and her mother a corporate lawyer. Needless to say, the Davis' were raking in the dough. But it was because of their jobs that they were never around. They'd often be at long meetings or go on extended business trips, leaving Brooke all by herself. Haley didn't know how her friend dealt with it. Haley was very close to her parents—especially her mom. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like to grow up with a nanny and never have her around.

"Please, we both know that you're going to cave," Brooke teased. "My parents are paying for everything and you're not going to leave me to suffer by myself with them for the whole summer."

"We'll see," Haley kidded back. But deep down, she knew that Brooke was right. She wouldn't abandon her friend. Plus, Haley had always wanted to visit the west coast.

"Whatever. Now get your skinny ass over here and try on some of these shoes," she ordered playfully. Haley rolled her eyes before making her way over to the bed. She searched through the box until she came upon a pair of cute, black high-heels.

"What about these?" Haley asked while trying them on.

"The Joni sandals?" Brooke questioned.

"Um, yeah," she replied a little confused. She didn't know designers like Brooke did. Her best friend was the fashion guru.

"Well, they're very sexy and classy," Brooke stated matter-of-factly. "So I approve."

"Thank you," Haley responded while mirroring her serious tone.

"Is that how you're going to have your makeup, though?" Brooke asked as she looked over Haley's face.

"Yeah, why?"

"I can make it better. You need to have smokey eyes," she declared. "I read in _Cosmopolitan_ that men are always more attracted to women with darker eye shadow on."

"Well, your eyes aren't smokey. They're green," Haley pointed out.

"Dark green," Brooke corrected. "But I'm already fabulous so let's focus on you."

"Gee, thanks, Brookie."

"Oh, you know what I mean. You look beautiful. But when I'm done with you, you're going to look drop-dead gorgeous," she announced as Haley took a seat on the bed. Brooke reached into her purse and pulled out a large bag of makeup.

"Tigger, how much crap did you bring with you?"

"Hey, this crap is what's going to make the man of your dreams fall hopelessly in love with you. So be nice."

"I am being nice. Just don't make me look like a clown," Haley shuddered. _God, I hate those things. _Brooke didn't answer. She just stayed focused on Haley's face. Every now and then she'd tell her to close her eyes or open them.

"Haley, five more minutes," she heard her brother Matt shout from down the hall.

"Brooke," Haley urged.

"I know. I'm almost done," she assured her.

"Yo, Haley Bop, you guys ready yet?" her sister Taylor questioned a few minutes later as she peeked her head into the room. "The pimp mobile is leaving in two minutes." If Brooke wasn't doing her mascara right now, Haley would've rolled her eyes. She hated it when her sister tried to act cool and sound all "ghetto fabulous" or whatever it was.

"We'll be down in a second," Brooke answered for her.

"You better or we're leaving your asses behind," Taylor said before taking off.

"Man are they crabby," Brooke commented. Haley laughed. Matt and Taylor could definitely be annoying at times. A minute later, Brooke finally declared that she was done. Haley got up and looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Brooke had done an amazing job.

"Thanks, Tigger. I really like it," Haley said.

"No problem. Now let's go. Hott college guys await," Brooke replied excitedly. Haley laughed as she grabbed her purse and followed her friend out the bedroom door. She was really glad that Brooke was coming tonight. If the party sucked or things didn't work out like she'd planned, at least she'd have her best friend there to help soften the blow.

"There they are," Lydia stated. Haley saw that her mom, Matt, and Taylor were all waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "You girls look great."

"Thanks," both Haley and Brooke replied.

"Ok, so here are the rules," Matt began. _Here it comes_, Haley thought with dread. Her brother could be too protective at times. "No drinking, smoking, making out/hooking up, skinny dipping, going anywhere near the second floor where the bedrooms are, or…"

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Lydia interrupted laughing. "They're not children—or stupid, for that matter." _Thank you, Mom!_

"Well, they shouldn't even be coming. It's not the place for them," Taylor stated. "And I don't want to get yelled at if Haley comes home smashed, puking her guts out."

"I'm not going to drink," Haley declared.

"Then why are you coming again?" Matt asked.

"Because we want to get a feel for college life. We'll be freshman in a few months. It's important that we get familiar with it now," Brooke answered. Haley smiled at how well her friend could lie and sound believable. _Like I'd actually get all dressed up just so I could check out the campus and obnoxious, drunken frat brothers. _No, she was definitely not going to the party for that. Haley had a much different agenda. But only she and Brooke really needed to know that.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Matt muttered.

"They'll be fine. They're very mature and responsible for their age—unlike some of my other offspring," Lydia hinted jokingly. Haley and Brooke smiled triumphantly.

"Whatever, let's just go," Taylor said as she made her way to the door.

"Wait! Don't leave yet," Jimmy called as he ran down the hallway with his camera in hand. "I have to take some pictures."

"Aw, Dad!" all three James siblings groaned as Brooke snickered.

"Haley, just stand over there."

"We're going to be late," Matt stressed.

"Hey, it's my baby girl's first college party. We need to have some reminder of this milestone," Jimmy declared. Haley shook her head defeated. Her dad was a picture fanatic. Every little event or special thing she did, Jimmy was there with the camera. Haley still hadn't gotten over the time a few years ago when she was learning how to drive. Jimmy took one shot of her sitting for the first time behind the wheel. Haley had been so surprised by the flash that she almost ran over their mailbox.

"Just one," Haley urged. "We really have to get going."

"Fine," Jimmy agreed. He motioned for her to stand in front of the door. "Big smile." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Brooke suppressing her laughter.

"That was nice," Lydia stated.

"It was. But I actually think we need one more. This time Brooke can be in it," Haley suggested with an innocent grin.

"Oh, that's not necessary," Brooke replied.

"Oh, I think it is."

"Yeah, Brooke, why don't you get in there, too," Jimmy said. "You're like another daughter to us." Haley's smile widened when she saw that her best friend was trapped. There was no way she could turn down Jimmy after he said something like that.

"Uh, sure," Brooke muttered as she came to stand next to Haley.

"Smile big," Haley whispered under her breath. Brooke's arm around her shoulders painfully tightened.

"I hate you," she mumbled through her perfectly composed smile. Haley's only got bigger.

"Now can we go?" Matt asked impatiently afterward.

"Yeah, have fun," Lydia stated. "And be safe."

"Call if you're not going to be back before one o'clock," Jimmy added as the four left. Haley and Brooke walked to Matt's car and sat in the back.

"Let's do some damage," Taylor laughed as they drove away.

* * *

Nathan Scott made his way through the crowd in the living room of the frat house. It was only nine o'clock but the place was already packed. He'd originally arrived with his brother Lucas but they somehow got separated.

"Hey, Nathan, do you know where they moved the keg?" some random girl asked him. Nathan smirked. It was always like that. People—especially women—knew him but he had no idea who they were.

"Um, I think it's in the backyard now," he answered.

"Thanks," she replied while walking past him—making sure that her body brushed up against his. _Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to have some fun tonight. _

"Watch out for her. I hear she's got crabs," his friend Theresa said as she sidled up to him a minute later.

"Gross." _Ok, she's definitely off my to-do list._

"Yeah."

"Have you seen Lucas?" Nathan asked as they made their way to the kitchen.

"He was in line for the bathroom," the brunette replied.

"Oh." As soon as they entered the room, Nathan saw his best friend since high school Tim Smith mixing drinks.

"Hey, Coach, what do you want to drink?" Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Tim, I told you that you don't have to keep calling me that," he sighed. Nathan was a big basketball player in high school. He'd even gone to Duke and played college ball his freshman year. But after he suffered a knee injury at the end of the season, Nathan couldn't play anymore. He ended up leaving Duke afterward since he was no longer eligible for his basketball scholarship. His mom had tried to convince him to stay but he couldn't. It was too hard watching all his former teammates continue their careers when he couldn't. Plus, Duke was expensive. His mom didn't have that kind of money to pay for him to go there.

So Nathan left and transferred to Tree Hill College—or THC as they called it—as a sophomore this past year. It was a smaller school, more affordable, and right in their hometown. He ended up really liking it. Lucas and all of their friends were already going there. He and his brother eventually roomed together. But what really made it great was the fact that his and Lucas' old basketball coach from high school got a coaching job there. As soon as Whitey learned that the Scott brothers were on campus, he immediately tracked them down and offered them positions as his assistant coaches. Lucas was a great ball player, too, but his career ended their junior year of high school. It turned out that he had a heart condition called HCM. It was serious so he had to quit. But Whitey's presence at THC gave both Nathan and Lucas a way to reconnect with the game that had been such a big part of their lives.

"Sorry, Coach. Err, Nathan," Tim quickly corrected when Nathan gave him a look.

"I'll just have a beer," he requested. Tim handed it to him before turning to Theresa.

"And what do you want, pretty lady?" he asked while staring at her up and down.

She gave him an unamused look before replying, "Can you whip up a margarita? Or is that too complex for you?"

"Please, The Tim can make anything." Nathan took another large swig of his beer. He also told his friend to stop referring to himself in the third person as "The Tim." _He is so weird sometimes. _

"Good," Theresa commented before turning and whispering to Nathan, "Is he ok?"

"He was dropped on his head as a child. At least, that's what we've all assumed," Nathan replied.

"Got it."

"Here you go," Tim said while passing Theresa her drink.

"Thanks."

"So, did you maybe want to…" Tim began in an overly seductive/cheesy tone.

"Later," Theresa interrupted and took off.

"Real smooth, Dim," Nathan laughed.

"Dude, she is hott. I have got to get with her," Tim declared as he stared after Theresa's departing figure. "I love a woman with attitude."

"She's kind of picky," Nathan warned. He'd first met Theresa in one of his classes last semester. She was nice but definitely didn't put up with any bullshit from guys.

"Whatever, The Tim always loves a challenge."

"Well, while The Tim is doing that, I'm going to go find Lucas," Nathan declared. He could only deal with his friend for a few minutes at a time before he got a headache. He walked back out into the living room and began his search. How long could it really take him to go to the bathroom? But once again, his brother was nowhere to be found. Nathan also searched for some of his other friends. They weren't around either. _Seriously, where the hell is everybody?_

* * *

"Haley, you look great," Brooke whispered. "Stop fidgeting."

"I'm sorry," Haley replied. "I can't help it."

"Take a few deep breaths. You're nervous for nothing." Haley did as she was instructed. But it only made her feel more lightheaded.

"We're almost there," Matt announced. Haley then felt the butterflies in her stomach grow to the size of softballs.

"Relax," Brooke muttered while patting her back soothingly.

"Taylor, watch it!" Matt admonished. "You almost elbowed me in the eye."

"It's not my fault your car is so small."

"Can't you change later?"

"No," she replied stubbornly. Haley watched as her sister pulled off her short-sleeve shirt to reveal a red tube top underneath. She thought that Taylor's outfit was nice before. But she always had to go one step further. If their dad had seen it, he wouldn't have let her out of the house. "Much better."

"Unbelievable," Matt mumbled while shaking his head. A few minutes later, they finally pulled up in front of the house. Haley immediately heard the loud booming music and saw a few people puking their guts out on the front lawn. _Oh crap, what have I gotten myself into? _

"Ok, does everyone remember the rules or do I have to go over them again?" Matt asked as they all got out of the car.

"No, that won't be necessary," Haley replied.

"Are you sure? Because…"

"I think they get it. Let's just go," Taylor interrupted and started walking to the front of the house. Matt followed with Haley and Brooke lagging behind with their arms looped.

"You ready?" Brooke asked. Haley gave her a timid smile and nodded. A second later, they walked through the front door. Haley gasped at the craziness and chaos before her. It looked just like a scene out of Animal House.

"Whoa," she muttered as she saw two people going at it and practically stripping down as they made their way upstairs.

"And I thought that my parties were ragers," Brooke replied.

"Let's see who's here," Taylor proposed.

"Alright," Matt responded. He then turned to Haley and Brooke. "Stay with us." The girls nodded as they followed Taylor and Matt through the large crowd of people. Occasionally, Haley noticed some of the guys leering at them. _At least the outfit is working, I guess. _

"Ok, we are definitely staying together. Look at these horny losers. We'll be mauled by the end of the night," Brooke stated. She was usually the more outgoing and forward one of the two when it came to parties and guys. So for Brooke to want to be cautious, Haley knew it must be bad.

"No objections here," Haley retorted when she noticed some sleazy guy making a very inappropriate gesture at her with his tongue. She cringed at the sight and walked faster. It was a couple of minutes later that she saw Matt and Taylor stop a few feet in front of them. When Haley noticed who they were talking to, she automatically felt her heart start to hammer in her chest. There he was. The reason why Haley had been so adamant about going to this crazy party. The reason why she had gotten all dressed up. That reason being Nathan Scott. Haley looked to Brooke who gave her a reassuring smile. She then straightened out her top and hair before starting to walk over to him. _Here goes nothing…_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey, guys, thank you for the reviews. They were great. I'm glad you liked the first chapter. Here's the next one for you all. Please read and review! Thanks! **

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** Chapter 2**

Haley took deep, calming breaths as she approached the trio. _Relax, Haley. You can do this_, she coached herself. It was absurd that she was getting this worked up over a guy. But Nathan Scott wasn't just some random person. She'd known him most of her life. Matt, Taylor, Nathan, and his brother Lucas had all first become friends in the 6th grade. The four were inseparable. And since Haley as a child never liked to be left out of anything, she always followed them around whenever she got the chance.

But it wasn't until Haley's freshman year of high school that she really started to notice Nathan. He had become quite handsome over the years. His muscular, six foot two build, charming smile, and hypnotic blue eyes were enough to make any girl weak in the knees. At the time, he was a junior and on the Tree Hill High Varsity Basketball Team. She was a cheerleader along with Brooke. Haley still remembered the first game when she saw him play. She'd almost dropped her pom-poms she was so mesmerized. Haley had never witnessed someone as focused and aggressive as Nathan on the basketball court. But at the same time, she could always see his love for the game shine through.

That's why it was such a shame when he suffered his knee injury at Duke. Haley and everyone else in Tree Hill could've sworn that he was going to be one of the greats. And Nathan was certainly trying to prove himself to everyone. It was twenty years ago that Nathan's father Dan had been in the same position. He'd been an amazing basketball player, too, before he busted his knee while playing for UNC—a trait that he unfortunately passed to his son.

But despite Dan Scott's short-lived glory, it wasn't basketball that he became noted for. It was the fact that he got both Lucas' mom Karen and Nathan's mom Deb pregnant within three months of one another. Karen had been Dan's high school girlfriend. When he found out that she was pregnant, he dumped her so that he could pursue his basketball career without distractions. He then moved on to Deb at UNC. He found out about her pregnancy after his injury. Dan had promised they'd do the right thing and get married. But the night before the wedding, he skipped town and was never heard from again.

Deb ended up moving to Tree Hill permanently when Dan's brother Keith, who was also close to Karen, promised to help her out. Eventually, Karen and Deb met. They ended up bonding over their similar situations and hate for Dan. They became really good friends and ultimately business partners. The two pooled their resources and opened up a café together—which was where Haley worked. Dan had certainly made a mess of things when he left. But Karen and Deb overcame it and gave their sons a good life and the chance to grow up together. Haley was glad that everything had worked out for them. And even though Nathan couldn't play basketball anymore, his assistant coaching position at THC still made everyone hold him in high esteem. The team had basically sucked before he, Lucas, and Whitey came along.

Haley ran her hand through her hair quickly one more time before she was finally in front of them. She automatically felt her stomach do flip flops as she took in his appearance. Nathan was wearing dark jeans with a short-sleeve, black polo shirt that showed off his muscular build in all the right places. _Oh boy. Why does he have to look so damn hott?! _

But his amazing looks right now weren't the only thing that was intimidating. Nathan was always so confident—sometimes too much so. He knew who he was and made no apologies for it. Haley didn't have a low self-esteem, but she was more reserved. Whenever Nathan was around, she was always afraid she'd make a fool of herself in front of him. He was older and had practically been the king of Tree Hill High. It was part of the reason why she never really got too close to him. He only knew her as Matt and Taylor's little sister. They'd had conversations in the past, but most of them were very casual and light. Nathan usually just liked to tease and kid around with her. For a long time, Haley had tried to convince herself that her growing feelings and attraction to him were a phase. Hormones were capable of some crazy things. However, the feelings never did go away. It wasn't until she told Brooke about it that Haley realized she did, in fact, have it bad for Nathan Scott.

As she stood in front of him now, Haley definitely felt the urge to just bolt. She'd never acted on her feelings because she never thought that she had a chance. But as Brooke had pointed out many times before, she wouldn't know until she tried. Haley wasn't naïve, though. She didn't expect for Nathan to take one look at her and immediately realize that she was the perfect girl for him. She had to start slow. So that was exactly what she was doing.

"Hey, Nathan," Haley greeted before she completely lost all of her nerve. He turned his attention away from Taylor and Matt to look at her. She felt her heart beat even faster when that charming smile/smirk of his appeared on his face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Baby James," Nathan declared. Haley inwardly cringed at his old nickname for her. But she made sure her sweet smile stayed perfectly in place. "Fancy seeing you here."

"And why is that?" she replied.

"I never thought I'd see the day Matt and Taylor would let you be in the same room as drunken frat brothers."

"I wasn't going to bring her but she begged," Matt stated. Nathan kinked his eyebrow while looking at her.

"I did not," Haley denied. _I am _so_ going to kill my brother later. _

"Yeah, you did," Taylor laughed. "She wouldn't shut up about it." _And my sister, too. _

"I just wanted to see what it was like," Haley defended. "I'll be going here next semester. I think it's only fair that I get used to these things now."

"Sounds like a good strategy," Nathan commented. "Just don't go anywhere by yourself. Some of these guys are just waiting to pounce on innocent, unsuspecting high school girls like yourself." _Ugh, you're killing me, Nathan!_

"Who says that we're innocent?" Brooke questioned back as she joined their little group. Haley threw her a thankful look.

"Please, we all know you're not," Taylor laughed.

"Yeah, they're still talking about the time you took a dare to run naked through Tim Smith's backyard," Matt pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I remember that party," Nathan smirked. "When was that?"

"Our junior year," Lucas stated as he approached the group. "And I don't remember anyone complaining."

"Thank you, Lucas. I was never one to back out on a dare," Brooke explained unashamed. Haley shook her head smiling at how fearless her friend could be. She'd been shocked when Brooke initially agreed to it. Now they just got a good laugh out of it.

"No problem," he chuckled. "Hey, Haley. I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Well, that seems to be the general consensus," Haley replied as he gave her a hug. Of all Matt and Taylor's friends, Haley was probably the closest to Lucas. He had many of the same interests as her so they got along really well. He was also one of the few who didn't treat her like a little kid.

Haley felt her sister nudge her and give her a pointed look. She just rolled her eyes. Since she and Lucas were so close, everyone automatically assumed that they had a thing for each other. Taylor often busted her up about how they were going to get married someday. Every time she mentioned it, Haley had to fight the urge to gag. She didn't have anything against Lucas. He was good looking with his shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes, and lean build. It was just that he was too much like a second brother to her for there to be anything romantic between them. And she was positive that he didn't see her like that either. They usually shrugged it off and joked about it later on.

"Well, I'm glad you came. At least there will be one intellectual person here that I can talk to," he joked.

"Hey!" the others exclaimed as Haley laughed.

"Likewise," she responded.

"See, I told you being valedictorian would go to her head," Taylor teasingly muttered to Matt.

"Oh my God, Haley, you're valedictorian?" Lucas asked amazed.

"Yes!" Brooke answered excitedly for her. "She found out last Friday. So, not only will you be able to see us graduate in two weeks, but you'll get to see Haley make her speech."

"That's great. Congratulations," Lucas said while quickly hugging Haley.

"Thanks," she retorted. Haley could feel her cheeks flame up and her face turning pink from embarrassment. The whole group was looking at her.

"Yeah, that's awesome," Nathan agreed smiling. "I was always just happy that I passed."

"My brother the overachiever, ladies and gentlemen," Lucas joked.

"Shut up," Nathan laughed before socking him in the arm. Haley smiled at the brotherly display.

"Tutor Girl!" Haley heard someone exclaim. She looked towards the kitchen to see Tim running to her. Before she knew it, he pulled her into his arms and was hugging her tightly.

"Hi, Tim," Haley laughed in surprise. Tim almost didn't graduate his senior year at Tree Hill High. He was failing almost every subject until he came to her for help. In addition to cheerleading, Haley also volunteered at the Tutoring Center at their school. She loved teaching others and watching their faces when they finally understood the material. It took a lot of time and patience but eventually Haley was able to explain the subjects in a way that Tim could comprehend. He started calling her "Tutor Girl" after that. It stuck, and sometimes Brooke and the others would call her that, too. But Haley didn't mind. She was so happy to see Tim get his diploma on graduation day. Aside from her siblings, she cheered for him the loudest.

"Dim, you wanna not manhandle my sister," Matt commented sternly.

"Oh, Matt, be quiet," Haley replied when they pulled away. "He's fine."

"You will never guess what I got on my final exam for chemistry this semester," Tim stated excitedly—completely ignoring her brother. Haley was going to answer when he cut her off. "B-."

"Oh my god, Tim, that's great!" Haley exclaimed proudly.

"I know. Some of the material was the same as in high school so I used all those old charts you drew me before," he said. "They seriously saved my ass."

"I'm glad you did well. I always knew you could."

"Thanks," he beamed back.

"Ok, while this little reunion is fun and all, we are seriously wasting a perfectly good party," Taylor declared. "So, boys, where's the keg?"

"Backyard," Nathan answered.

"Thanks," she replied before heading off.

"Tutor Girl, did you want anything?" Tim offered. "I could whip you up one kick-ass margarita…"

"No way," Matt cut in forcefully. "She's underage. The only thing she'll be drinking tonight is juice."

"Juice?" Haley questioned with a disgusted look on her face. "What am I, three years old?" She hated it when Matt started treating her like a child—especially now with Nathan watching. How was she going to prove that she was older and more mature when her brother kept babying her?

"There's soda," Lucas suggested. "Did you want some of that?"

"Yeah, that would be good," Haley replied. "Thanks."

"Brooke?" Lucas questioned.

"Sure," she replied with a smile.

"Well, I'm taking Taylor's lead and heading to the keg," Matt announced. "Can you guys watch them for a little while?" Haley was just about to open her mouth and protest but then quickly stopped. She didn't need a babysitter. But if that meant she'd have to stay close to Nathan the rest of the time, she had no problem with it.

"Sure," Nathan replied. _YES! _ Brooke nudged Haley and gave her a secretive smile.

"Thanks. I'll catch up with you guys later," he said before going out the back.

"Ok, ladies, follow us," Lucas instructed.

"Ooh, I see Theresa," Tim announced a second later. Haley followed his gaze to some brunette girl a couple of feet away. "Later, guys. The Tim's got some wooing to do."

"'Wooing'?" Brooke laughed.

"Don't ask," Nathan replied before leading them all into the kitchen.

"Let's see, we've got Sprite, Coke, Pepsi, and Orange Soda," Lucas listed while sorting through the bottles. "Which one would you like?"

"Any Diet Coke?" Brooke asked.

"Um, yeah," Nathan answered.

"I'll have that."

"Haley?" Lucas asked.

"I'll have the same," she replied.

"Here you go," Nathan said while handing the cups to them. Haley felt the butterflies in her stomach as his hand lightly brushed hers.

"Thanks," Haley replied—surprised that she even able to say anything.

"So, what is it you hott college guys do for fun around here?" Brooke asked. Lucas smiled as Nathan smirked.

"Nothing much. We just hang out, talk, maybe play a game or two of beer pong…" Lucas trailed off jokingly.

"Wow, sounds like the good life," Haley laughed.

"It is," Nathan replied. "And that's not even counting all of the hotties that are around."

"You mean like us?" she teased.

"Yeah," he played along. "But don't tell your brother because he'll never let you come again."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me," Haley promised with a wink. She felt her heart start to beat a little faster when he smiled. _He is so adorable._

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but one of my favorite things to do at a party is dance," Brooke proclaimed. She then looked over at Lucas with a charming smile. "And since we're not to be left alone and this is one of my favorite songs, maybe you could join me?" Haley had to suppress a smile. She knew exactly what her best friend was doing.

"Uh, sure," Lucas responded. "But I have to warn you, I'm not very good."

"That's ok. I'll do all the work. You can just stand there and look pretty," she declared playfully and dragged Lucas off with her—but not before whispering a quick and quiet "good luck" to Haley.

"So, um, did you want a tour of the place?" Nathan offered. He wanted to avoid dancing at all costs. He was even worse than Lucas. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself in front of Haley and all of his peers.

"Uh, yeah. I'd like that," Haley replied casually—internally holding back her excitement.

"Alright, this way," Nathan instructed. He led her back into the living room. They briefly passed by Brooke and Lucas who were smiling and laughing as they danced. Nathan smirked slightly. He knew that Lucas always had a crush on Brooke. He was just too shy to ever really make a move. But Nathan was glad that his brother was getting some time to spend with her. _Maybe he'll finally work up the nerve to ask her out_, he mused.

Nathan then turned his attention back to Haley. It was hard to believe that she would actually be graduating. He still remembered the times she used to follow Matt and Taylor around when they'd all hang out. She'd get a little pout on her face when they would tell her to go away. Nathan always had to suppress a laugh when she got like that. Matt or Taylor would eventually cave in and let her stay with them for a short while. Haley definitely knew how to use her cute-little-sister status to her advantage. And as far as he could tell, she was still able to pull it off. Matt and Taylor had let her come with them, after all. Nathan only gave Haley a tour of the first floor. It wasn't really necessary to go upstairs. God only knew what was happening up there. After he showed her all of the different rooms downstairs, they ended up back in the living room.

"Did you want to sit for awhile?" Nathan asked when he saw that a couple of spots on the couch were free.

"Sure," Haley replied. She could definitely use a break. They'd only been at the party for forty five minutes and her feet were already killing her. Brooke's heels may look stylish but they hurt like hell.

"So, Haley, it's been awhile. What have you been up to?" Nathan asked after they got settled on the couch. The last time he'd seen Haley was during winter break.

"Oh, nothing much. Just school, cheerleading, tutoring…" she trailed off. "The usual. What about you?"

"Mostly school and basketball," Nathan stated.

"Yeah, I heard you guys did well in the semi-finals this year," Haley said. "Everyone was rooting for you guys to win."

"Lucas, Whitey, and I have been trying to get the team in shape. We got this new kid who's a freshman. He's really good but he's got an attitude. He cost us the semi-finals because he can't control his temper and focus on the game." Just thinking about the kid automatically made Nathan's blood boil. That was the first thing he was going to deal with next season. He wouldn't let the punk get away with that behavior again. And neither would Lucas and Whitey. They'd all been furious.

"You guys still did well. The Ravens didn't even make it that far this season," Haley said.

"I heard about that. What happened?" Nathan asked. It sucked to hear that his old high school team was doing terribly. Some of the best years of Nathan's life had been playing for the Ravens.

"Well, I'm not really a basketball expert or anything, but everything just seemed to go downhill after you and Whitey left," Haley answered.

"Yeah, I can see how that would happen," Nathan smirked.

"Don't let it go too much to your head," she joked smiling. She was usually repulsed by arrogant guys. But Nathan's cockiness wasn't too overbearing. If anything, his unyielding confidence just made him that much sexier.

"Come on, Haley, it's me."

"Exactly," she teased.

"Well, it's nice to that see you haven't changed," he commented. "That wit of yours is still alive and kicking."

"Oh, you know you like it, Scott. It keeps you on your toes," she said while nudging him.

"I don't know. Sometimes you can be vicious. I mean, there was that one time you made fun of me at the homecoming dance my senior year. I went home and cried, Haley. You really hurt my feelings," he said in mock sadness.

"I did not!" Haley objected. "All I said was that you were doing it wrong."

"It was complicated," he defended.

"Nathan, the Macarena is not that difficult. For an athlete, your hand-eye coordination should've been perfect."

"See, there you go again. It's never good enough for you. You've seriously given me a complex, Baby James. I'm emotionally scarred for life because of that night."

"Oh, stop it," she laughed while playfully swatting his arm. "You are not."

"Now you're physically abusing me? Will the cycle of violence never end?" he exclaimed dramatically. Haley just shook her head as she tried to suppress a smile.

"You are impossible," she commented with her arms folded.

"But you know you like it. It keeps you on your toes," he said repeating her earlier words.

"Fine, then maybe I just won't talk to you," Haley declared while flipping her hair back and facing straight ahead.

"Good. I could use some peace and quiet," he retorted. She just shrugged without saying anything. Nathan almost busted out laughing. Despite the fact that Haley was the youngest of the James clan, she was certainly the most entertaining. He'd forgotten how much fun she could be. Nathan didn't really see Haley that often, but he always enjoyed himself when he was around her.

"Wait, did you just hair flip me?" Nathan asked a minute later. Haley shrugged again wordlessly. Although she was trying to appear stoic, she was practically jumping up and down inside. This is exactly what she wanted tonight—a chance to spend some one-on-one time with Nathan. Even if it was something as simple as joking around and getting into mock fights at a party, she was still claiming his attention. Every little bit counted. The fact that there were other people on the couch and Haley had to be squished next to him was just a bonus. Haley was unexpectedly brought out of her thoughts a minute later when she felt Nathan grab a strand of her hair and run it between his fingers. Instantly, she felt a shiver run up her spine at the contact. For what felt like the millionth time that night, her heart rate sped up.

"Didn't your hair used to be wavy?" he asked. It took her a couple of seconds to catch her breath and formulate an answer.

"Um, yeah. I straightened it," she replied. Nathan nodded. "Why?"

"No reason. I thought something was different about you," he commented.

"Is it a good different? Bad different?" she prodded.

"It's good," he answered. "Although, I think I liked it wavy better." _Crap_, she thought.

"Really?" Haley questioned a little bummed.

"Yeah. Whenever it's wavy it's shorter. So next time you flip your hair like that, I won't have to worry about losing an eye," Nathan joked. Haley laughed softly before biting her bottom lip—a nervous habit.

"I'll try to remember that," she stated while looking into those gorgeous blue eyes of his.

"Thanks," he smirked before finally letting the strand fall back against her shoulder. They held each other's gazes for a few more seconds until they were interrupted.

"There you guys are!" Taylor exclaimed. "We were all wondering what happened to you two."

"We've been right here the whole time," Nathan stated. He didn't know why, but he was slightly disappointed that Taylor had shown up. For a few minutes, Nathan had forgotten that he and Haley were actually at a party.

"Well, everyone is in the kitchen. We're going to play a game so come on," Taylor said. Haley begrudgingly got up and followed her sister and Nathan into the next room. It figured that one of them would sense she was having a good time and come along to interrupt her moment with Nathan.

"I found them," Taylor announced to the group.

"Where were you guys?" Matt asked as he passed out cups to everyone.

"The living room," Nathan answered while going to stand between Tim and Lucas. Haley walked over to Brooke. She saw her friend kink her eyebrow questioningly.

"Later," Haley quietly mouthed to her.

"So, what are we playing?" Nathan asked.

"I Never," Matt answered.

"What?" Haley asked disappointed. She hated that game. It never ended well, and people always seemed to play it at every single party she'd ever been to.

"I Never is when someone says something they've never done. The people who have done it then have…" Taylor began to explain.

"They have to drink," Haley finished. "I know how it works." _I just hate it_, she thought.

"Here you guys go," Matt said while handing her and Brooke cups.

"Is this orange juice?" Brooke questioned after looking at it.

"Yes. Remember, you guys aren't supposed to drink."

"But where's the fun in that," Brooke mumbled to Haley. She smiled at the disappointed brunette before turning her attention to Taylor. She seemed to be leading the activity.

"Ok, I'm going first," Taylor stated. "I've never…...wait, I've actually done that. Um, I've never watched animal porn." A second later, all the guys took drinks.

"Ew," Haley commented while looking to Brooke.

"That is just wrong," Brooke stated.

"It's not like it was enjoyable," Lucas replied. "Tim brought it over as a joke one time. We didn't know what it was."

"Yeah, that shit was funny," Tim laughed. "Who knew a dog's thing could fit…"

"Please do not finish that sentence," Haley interrupted. That was beyond repulsing to her. Brooke shuddered as Taylor snickered. _Animal porn? Sick. _

"Let's just keep it going," Matt urged.

"Ok, it's my turn," Lucas stated. "I've never had sex with anything made out of plastic."

"Jerk," Taylor muttered before taking a sip. _I'm officially scarred for life_, Haley thought. She definitely didn't need to know about her sister's "experiments" either. Haley then turned to Brooke. To her surprise, she was drinking, also.

"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed in shock as the others laughed.

"What? It was only once and I was curious," she defended. "Besides, the real thing is so much better." _I still do not need to know this. Did I mention that I hate this game with a passion?  
_

"Alright, I'm next," Nathan declared moving on. "I've never…slept with more than one person in one night." Taylor drank again.

"Geez, girl, you're progressive," Brooke commented.

"Don't drink vodka, kiddies. You will regret it in the morning," Taylor advised.

"Whatever, my turn," Tim said excitedly. "I've never had sex." Everyone turned to look at him confused.

"Yes, you have," Nathan stated. "You were with that other girl Tracy for a while in our junior year of high school."

"I know. But I just used it as an excuse so we all can drink," he replied.

"You can't do that," Matt objected. "It's against the rules."

"It's my turn and I want to drink," Tim replied stubbornly.

"But…"

"Matt, just do it," Taylor said. "You know he won't shut up until we do."

"Ugh, fine," he relented a minute later after Tim gave him an obstinate look. Everyone then started to drink. Haley, however, didn't know what to do. She'd never had sex before. She wasn't ashamed but it's not like she wanted to let everyone know. That was her business. So she quickly raised her cup and took a small sip. A second later, the sound of her brother spitting out his drink and coughing caused her to look up.

"What?!" he choked out while staring at her.

"What?" Haley questioned back innocently.

"Why are you drinking?"

"Because…" she trailed off. Haley really just wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. They were all staring at her in shock. She was positive that her face was cherry red by now.

"What's his name and where does he live?" Matt demanded once he stopped choking.

"Not now, Matt. Just drop it," Haley said.

"Like hell I will. I want the name of the son of a bitch who took advantage of my sister. Now who is he?"

"Matt," Haley groaned while putting her head in her hands. _This is so embarrassing! How come he has to flip out on me and not Taylor?!_

"Haley…" he warned.

"Matt, calm down," Brooke intervened. "She didn't do anything."

"Obviously, she has."

"No, she hasn't," Taylor chimed in. "I'm her sister. I'd be able to tell if she wasn't a virgin."

"Guys," Haley groaned trying to get their attention. She then noticed Lucas and Nathan holding back laughs. "This isn't funny!"

"Maybe a little," Lucas commented as Nathan's smirk only widened.

"I want his name," Matt repeated.

"She just drank so she wouldn't be singled out," Brooke informed him. "There was no guy. Your precious baby sister is still as pure as the driven snow."

"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed.

"Yeah, you know she's doing that whole weird no-sex-until-marriage thing," Taylor added.

"Taylor!" _Why don't they just sky-write it so the whole town can know?!_

"I don't get what the big deal is," Tim commented. "Virgins are hott."

"Tim!" they all yelled. _Oh my God, I want to die. _She was never going to live this one down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner. The semester for me is almost over so I've been weighed down with a lot of school work. Luckily, I found some time to write this chapter. Thanks again for the responses and please continue to review! **

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"How awesome is this?" Brooke questioned as she searched through the clothing racks. It was Wednesday afternoon and Haley and Brooke were at the mall. They would be graduating next week and needed to find the perfect dresses for the ceremony and after party.

"What is?" Haley asked as she put another dress back. It was way too slinky and bright for her taste.

"That we are officially done with school and the other poor suckers still have classes right now," she elaborated. That was one of the perks of being seniors. They got out at least two weeks before the other students did. Haley was certainly enjoying her long-awaited freedom. As much as she loved school, she'd about had enough by the end of the year. College applications, senior projects, tutoring, and exams had taken their toll on her. She was officially wiped.

"Yeah, it is. But I still have to finish writing my valedictorian speech," Haley stated. She'd be glad once that was over with.

"How's it coming?"

"Pretty good. I still have a lot to do, though."

"I'm sure it'll be great," Brooke assured her. "Now, what about this dress?"

"It's ok," Haley replied. The dress seemed a little too showy for graduation. But then again, that's how Brooke was. She loved outfits that stood out.

"So, you don't like it?"

"I don't know. I'd have to see it on you first." Brooke nodded before adding it to the pile of dresses she already had in her hand. "Aren't you going to try on at least one?"

"I will when I find one that I actually like," Haley stated. Finding the right dress was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Well, let's see what they have over here." Brooke walked to another rack and began to search through it. She pulled out a few dresses and handed them to Haley. "Try those. Especially that top one." Haley looked them over before nodding in agreement. They then headed toward the fitting room. Haley took a seat while Brooke went to try on her selections first.

"Ok, so now what do you think of this one?" Brooke asked as she stepped out of the changing stall. It was that same flashy dress she'd shown Haley before.

"I don't like it," Haley replied honestly. There was way too much going on with that ensemble. "It's a little overkill. Try the red one, instead." A couple of minutes later, Brooke came out again. Haley looked over the dress and smiled approvingly. "That's so much better."

"You think so?" Brooke asked as she stared at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall.

"Definitely," she answered. "It's sexy but elegant. And it looks amazing on you."

"Yeah, it does," Brooke declared with a smile after another minute of looking at herself. "Well, I'm done. This is perfect. Nice choice, Tutor Girl."

"Thank you, Tigger." Brooke went back to change into her normal clothes before coming back out. Haley then went into the stall.

"Brooke, I am not wearing this," Haley declared once she'd gotten the first dress on.

"Let me see." Haley then opened the door and came out to show her.

"Ooh, I like it."

"It's skin tight and my breasts are all out," Haley replied.

"And your point?" Brooke laughed.

"It's not appropriate."

"Come on, Haley, live a little," her best friend urged. "I think it's great. Besides, I'm sure Nathan will bust a gasket when he sees you in that. It's just what you need to get him to see you differently. That hott dress coupled with the fact that you're still an 'innocent' virgin ready for the taking is like a total aphrodisiac for guys."

"Brooke!" Haley admonished as she felt her face getting slightly red from embarrassment. She still couldn't believe what had happened last Saturday at the party. All she did was take one little sip out of her cup during I Never and then suddenly the whole group knew her business. Haley had thought she'd done it quickly and inconspicuously enough so that Matt and Taylor wouldn't pick up on it. But unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.

After everything had been straightened out and Matt was convinced that she hadn't, in fact, slept with some guy, the game ended and everyone began to do their own separate things. Haley had remained quiet and tried to act like she wasn't completely furious with him for blowing everything so out of proportion. She then tried to talk to Nathan again but it was difficult when Matt insisted on never leaving her side. It was "for her safety" as he termed it. It wasn't until they got back home that night did she let him have it. It was a huge argument that her parents, ultimately, had to break up. As for Taylor and Brooke, she'd made them promise to never "help" her in a situation like that again.

"What?"

"I want to look older. Not like a slut," Haley retorted. "Plus, my parents, grandparents, and other relatives are going to be there. Not to mention Matt. You know he'd never let me out of the house in this thing."

"Who cares what Matt thinks? Do what you want."

"I wish it were that simple," Haley muttered.

"Are you two still not talking to one another?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah," Haley sighed. "I just…I'm so sick of him babying me. I could understand my dad doing stuff like that. But Matt's my brother. I know that he wants to make sure I'm ok but he just takes it too far. He doesn't give a damn about all the crazy stuff Taylor does."

"Have you told him that?"

"More times than I can count," she said. "And did you know that he tried to talk my parents out of letting me go to California with you?"

"He did not!" Brooke exclaimed outraged.

"He did. He said that it was a big mistake since we'll be across the country with no supervision."

"But my parents are going to be there—sort of," Brooke added. Both girls knew that Brooke's parents would be so busy doing their own things that they wouldn't even really check in on them. But it's not like Haley and Brooke were planning to go crazy this summer or anything. They were just two best friends who wanted to spend time with each other and relax before their first semester of college.

"What did your parents say?" Brooke questioned a second later.

"They told him to relax and that I would be perfectly fine. At least they know that I'm responsible." Haley had practically jumped for joy when she heard her parents' response.

"Thank God. You seriously scared me for a minute there," Brooke retorted.

"Yeah, well, imagine my reaction," Haley retorted as she went back to try on another dress. With her brother being so overbearing, it just made Haley want to go to California even more. She really wanted to get away and maybe meet some new people. It would be nice to start over—even if it was just for a little while. Haley tried on a few more dresses. Each one was either too flashy or conservative. What she really needed was something in between.

"Was that the last one?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah," Haley answered as she put the dresses she didn't want on the rack nearby. She was just about to turn around when another dress caught her eye. She walked closer to it to get a better look. The dress was all white with a thin halter strap. It had a nice spring/summer appearance. The material looked rumpled in the front but was made to be stylish. Overall, the dress seemed to have a nice flare and shape. Haley pulled it off the rack and was happy to see that it was the size she needed.

"I'm going to try this last one on," Haley told Brooke. She changed again and walked back out to show her. "What do you think?" Brooke stared at her for a minute or so before a huge grin formed on her face.

"That is absolutely gorgeous!" Brooke complimented as she stood up and walked around Haley to get a better look. "I love it. You have to get this dress." Haley glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and couldn't help but agree. It showed some skin but in a tasteful manner. She could definitely wear it in front of her relatives. The material also seemed to hug and accent her curves perfectly, giving off a somewhat sexy vibe. _This is definitely the one._

"I'm getting it," Haley declared.

"Good," Brooke commented happily. "Now let's go. We still have to buy shoes and accessories." Haley then quickly changed back into her normal clothes. Afterward, the two paid for their dresses and headed to a few other stores. Although Haley usually hated shopping, she didn't mind spending another hour at the mall with Brooke. She was really excited about graduation and her chosen outfit. So even if she did manage to screw up her valedictorian speech, at least she would look good while doing it.

* * *

"Luke, where's my box with all of my playbooks and everything?" Nathan asked as he searched around their dorm room. The place was a complete mess as they packed their things to move out. The semester had officially ended yesterday. Research papers and final exams were finally over and done with. Nathan was beyond relieved. He'd been so stressed out lately. He couldn't wait to go home and just relax—assuming he and Lucas ever finished packing. They were supposed to have been done an hour ago. But they both seemed to have acquired more unnecessary junk over the school year than they'd realized. 

"It's already in my truck. Why?" Lucas replied.

"I have to drop by Whitey's office and give him some of the new plays I've been working on for next season," he explained.

"Then why did you pack them?"

"Because I was afraid that if I left them hanging around, they'd get lost in this mess."

"Well, they're somewhere in the back of the truck. You'll have to look for them," Lucas stated as he picked up another box. Nathan sighed before following him out the door. Once outside, he walked over to Lucas' truck parked next to the curb and started to search through the various boxes. _Why the hell didn't I label anything?_ It took him several minutes but he was eventually able to find it.

"I'm gonna head over to the office. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," Nathan said.

"Alright," Lucas replied with a brief nod. Nathan then made his way to the gym. Once he reached Whitey's office, he knocked on the door frame before entering.

"Hey, Coach," he greeted.

"Nathan, I thought that you'd left campus already," Whitey said as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Lucas and I are still getting our stuff together. I just dropped by to give this to you," Nathan explained while handing him the playbook. Whitey took it and started to look through the contents.

"This is really good," Whitey commented after a minute or so.

"Thanks."

"I noticed that you didn't put Quentin in a few of these plays, though," he pointed out.

"I know," Nathan answered. "After the stunts he pulled last season, I thought it would be best to have a few backup plans in case he gets thrown out of the game again." He wasn't about to let some punk screw up their chances of going to the championship next season. If Quentin wanted to be a hot-headed jerk, then so be it. But Nathan was hell bent on not letting the rest of the team suffer for it.

"It couldn't hurt," Whitey agreed. "Thanks for dropping it off."

"No problem."

"I'll call you and Lucas in a couple of weeks and then we can start planning some more things for next season."

"Yeah, that's fine," Nathan responded. "Well, I'll see you, Whitey. I have to get back."

"Alright. Enjoy your time off. You're going to need it."

"Believe me, I know," he laughed before turning around and making his way out of the office. He left the building and started walking along the sidewalk back to his dorm. Nathan was glad to see that the weather was starting to clear up. It had been raining for the last few days. There had been a slight chill in the air, also. Usually, it was much hotter by mid May. But Nathan wouldn't complain. The longer the intense heat held off the better. As Nathan continued walking, he heard his cell phone ring. He quickly reached into his pocket.

"Hey, Mom," he answered after checking the caller ID screen.

"Hi, sweetie," Deb replied. "I just wanted to call and make sure that you're ok. I thought you would be home already. I'm making your favorite dinner tonight." Nathan's stomach automatically growled at the thought of his mom's recipe for prime rib. He practically inhaled her cooking.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just taking a little longer for Lucas and me to move out," he explained. "I'll be home by dinner."

"Ok," she replied. "Well, I have to go and get the food in the oven so it'll be ready on time. I just wanted to check in. I'll see you later, Nathan."

"Bye, Mom." Nathan hung up as he rounded the corner of a building. Not looking where he was going, he ended up banging into someone forcefully. Nathan glanced up to see the girl almost go flying backwards. Quickly, he reached out and managed to grab her arm to keep her from falling.

"I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" Nathan asked while steadying her.

"Um, yeah," she replied as she tried to regain her balance. She then glanced up at him. Once he'd gotten a good look at her, the first thing that struck Nathan was how attractive she was. Her hazel eyes and curly blonde hair definitely stuck out. He gave the rest of her a once over and wasn't disappointed. She was a little on the thin side but her figure was still shapely.

"You're sure?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I wasn't really looking where I was going either," she added while holding up something in her hand. Nathan took a closer look and saw that it was a map of the campus.

"Are you lost?" he questioned.

"No, I'm just…I mean I'm…yes," she admitted sheepishly.

"Well, where are you going? I'm sure I could point you in the right direction," Nathan offered.

"I, um, I don't exactly know. I was with a tour group but the guide was walking and talking so fast that I kind of just tuned her out. The next thing I knew, everyone was gone. So I'm not really sure where they are now."

"Well, they all head back to the Union when it's done. If you go there you'll be able to meet up with them again," Nathan explained. "Do you know where that is?" She twirled the map around and started reading it over.

"You know what, how about I just take you?" Nathan suggested after another minute. She definitely had no idea where she was going. He didn't want her to get even more lost than she already was. The campus could be a little confusing to newcomers. Plus, she was hott. Nathan Scott was never one to miss an opportunity to help out a girl of her caliber.

"Oh, you don't have to. If you're busy…"

"No, it's fine," Nathan interrupted. _I'm sure Lucas can handle a few extra boxes by himself_, he thought. He knew his brother would most likely kill him later but Nathan didn't care. Hott girls definitely took precedence over packing.

"Ok, then. Thanks."

"No problem. I'm Nathan, by the way," he introduced himself.

"I'm Peyton," the girl replied while shaking his hand.

"So, are you a transfer student?" Nathan questioned as he started to lead her towards the Union.

"No, I'm going to be a freshman here next semester," Peyton answered. "I just wanted to take another look at the campus." Nathan nodded as they continued walking.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from here—Tree Hill."

"Really?" he asked surprised. "Did you go to Tree Hill High?"

"No, I was enrolled in a private school."

"Oh, that explains it," he commented.

"Explains what?" Peyton asked while furrowing her brow.

"I went to Tree Hill High and I pretty much knew everybody. I'd be surprised if you went there, too, and I didn't notice you."

"And why would you notice me?" she inquired with a kinked eyebrow.

"Well, someone as pretty as you would certainly be hard to ignore," he stated with his trademark, charming smile. That usually got them.

"Really?" Peyton questioned.

"Definitely."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," he teased. Peyton rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Do lines like that actually work?"

"Always," he smirked. Peyton looked at him for another minute until her eyes widened.

"I knew I recognized you!" she exclaimed. Nathan gave her a quizzical look. "Your last name is Scott, right?"

"Yeah, how did you…"

"I remember seeing you at a several of the basketball games. I knew you looked somewhat familiar. I just couldn't place it."

"Do you like basketball?" Nathan asked hopeful. Most girls he dated hated sports. They just liked him for his status. But Peyton already seemed like she was different. If she said "yes," he would definitely take a chance and ask her out.

"It's ok. I was just a cheerleader, though." Nathan nodded. That was at least something.

"What school did you go to again?" Nathan asked.

"Werther's Academy," she answered.

"Oh yeah, I remember a few of those games."

"I always hated it when we played you guys."

"Because you lost every time?" That school's team was horrible. Nathan and his teammates barely had to work for those wins.

"Well, yes. But it was also annoying hearing all of my squad members gushing about just how cute you were?"

"Cute?" Nathan questioned. _I don't think a girl has ever really called me cute. _

"Ok, they might've mentioned the words 'hott' and 'total fox' a few times," Peyton mentioned offhandedly. _That's more like it!_

"And did you agree?" he prodded while looking over at her.

"Maybe," Peyton said with a shrug. "But I also heard that you can be a smooth talker. Hence your cheesy pickup line from before."

"Hey, that wasn't cheesy. I meant it," Nathan defended.

"Sure," she laughed.

"I did," he argued.

"Then if I'm so eye-catching, why didn't you notice me when you were at my school?" Peyton challenged.

"I was concentrating on basketball. Glancing at the cheerleaders during games doesn't exactly help you win."

"I guess you have a point," Peyton said. A second later, they finally arrived in front of the Union.

"Well, this is it," Nathan declared. "Your group should be on the first floor when they're done."

"Thanks for your help," Peyton stated. "I probably would've been lost for another hour."

"You're welcome. And sorry about the 'cheesy' pickup line," he added jokingly.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed. "But next time, I might not be so forgiving."

"Next time?" Nathan questioned with a smirk. Peyton's coy smile widened before she pulled a pen out of her purse. She wrote something down on the map and ripped the scrap of paper off. Afterward, she handed it to him.

"Let's just say that I did agree with my fellow squad members," she commented. She then gave him a small wink before turning around and heading into the Union. Nathan looked at the scrap of paper and saw a phone number. His smirk automatically widened. If he wasn't intrigued before, he definitely was now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews! I was expecting many of you to freak out about the possibility of Nathan and Peyton getting together. I'm not going to lie, there is going to be some Pathan in this story. But I promise that it's not going to be such an intense relationship that it's going to outshine the prospect of Naley. For those of you who have read my previous stories, you know I always have something up my sleeve. The only reason I'm even putting Pathan together is because it's going to cause some really important events and issues to come up in the plot. However, I'll try to make it as painless as possible. I hate writing it just as much as you hate reading it. Lol! But you'll see in the next few chapters where I'm going with it. **

**Also, I'm going to try to post the next chapter of More Than Anyone today. Between school work and writing some crucial chapters for that story, I haven't gotten the chance to update it. So keep an eye out for that. Now, onto Chapter 4. I hope you like it, and please review!  
**

* * *

** Chapter 4**

"Let's see, do I want the blue bathing suit or the red one?" Haley muttered to herself. She had her large suitcase sitting on her bed. There were four days left until she graduated that upcoming Saturday. The following Wednesday, she and Brooke would be leaving for California. Haley wanted to start her packing early. She'd be gone for about three months until she came back home at the end of August. She wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed. Haley threw the red bathing suit into her suitcase before looking back at the checklist she had made.

It was another hour until she got the majority of her clothes packed. Afterward, she decided to go downstairs to the kitchen for a quick snack. She passed Taylor's room. Haley could hear her blasting some song by the Pussycat Dolls and singing at the top of her lungs. She winced and quickened her pace. Taylor was definitely not the best singer in the world. Nails on a chalkboard would be a much more pleasant sound. Several seconds later, she finally entered the kitchen. A smile appeared on her face at the sight before her.

"What are you doing raiding our fridge, loser?" Haley questioned teasingly. Lucas jumped slightly and ended up banging his head on one of the shelves. She heard him mutter a string of curse words before finally turning around to look at her.

"I thought you promised to not do that anymore, geek," Lucas commented while rubbing his head. "I'm gonna have a huge mark now."

"Well, maybe if you stopped being such a moocher and ate your own food, then I wouldn't have scared you," Haley pointed out while walking towards him.

"Hey, I am not a moocher. Your mom said to make myself at home."

"She was only being polite. And I'm still mad at you for eating that chocolate chip cookie on me."

"Haley, that happened last Christmas," Lucas laughed.

"So? A girl never forgets when you deprive her of chocolate," Haley joked while nudging him playfully with her hip. She then went around him to grab a can of soda in the fridge.

"That was not my fault. Taylor told me to take it," Lucas defended before getting a mischievous smile on his face. "What if I made it up to you? Would you forgive me then?"

"Well, that depends on what you have in mind," Haley stated. _If it means he can get Nathan to become my love slave for a week, then I'm in! _

"My mom has a new 'Death By Chocolate' cake she created. She hasn't put it on the menu at the café yet," he said. "I might be able to smuggle you a few pieces." _That works, too. _

"You are good," Haley replied.

"I know," Lucas chuckled before grabbing a bag of chips on the counter and heading into the living room.

"So, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Haley questioned following him.

"Matt and I had plans to hang out," he answered while taking a seat on the couch. Haley did the same.

"And where is he?"

"He forgot to rent the movies we were going to watch. He went to pick it up while I stayed to guard your refrigerator," he teased.

"Moocher," she fake coughed.

"Geek," he mimicked. Haley laughed in response. She missed hanging out with Lucas when he was away at college. They'd e-mail and talk on the phone, but nothing could compare to getting together in person. Haley loved how they could be so carefree around one another.

"So, what are you guys planning on…" she began when she heard the front door open.

"Luke, I got the movies. I picked up some idiots on the way over, too," Matt called.

"Hey!" two male voices protested. Haley felt a pang in her stomach when she saw her brother enter the living room with Nathan and Tim behind him.

"Haley, what's up?" Tim greeted.

"Hi, Tim," she replied. "Nathan."

"Hey," Nathan responded. "Are you joining us?"

"Um…" she started to say when Matt interrupted.

"We're watching horror movies."

"Which ones?" Haley asked. She usually hated scary movies. But she really wanted to hang out with the guys—especially now that Nathan was over.

"Alien Resurrection, White Noise, and Freddie vs. Jason," Matt answered. "You wouldn't like them." Haley definitely heard the underlying hint that he didn't want her there. Things were still awkward between them. Lydia had sat them both down a couple of days ago. She was tired of the constant tension that seemed to surface when they were in the same room together. So she forced them to talk everything out. Matt apologized for his behavior, but Haley knew that he really wasn't that sorry. As her brother, he thought it was his job to protect her—no matter how many times she or her parents told him he was going overboard.

"Ah, she'll be fine," Tim dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Stay, Tutor Girl." Haley looked to Lucas and Nathan.

"Stay," Lucas agreed.

"Yeah, we'll protect you, Baby James," Nathan said with a sexy smile before taking a seat on the other side of her. She felt her skin tingle when his arm brushed hers.

"Then I guess you're stuck with me," Haley announced. Matt looked like he was about to say something else when Tim cut him off.

"Awesome." He then took a seat on the other side of Nathan—which actually made Haley more squished between Nathan and Lucas. But she didn't mind. Being stuck between one of her best friends and the guy she was crushing on was her idea of the perfect afternoon. "Put the movie in, Matt, and let the bloodshed begin." Matt sighed before reluctantly nodding his head. He then walked over to the DVD player and set everything up.

"So, Haley, play anymore interesting games of I Never lately?" Nathan whispered teasingly.

"Shut up," Haley muttered before giving him a light whack on the arm. Her face suddenly got hot, and she just knew that it was probably turning red. "And don't mention it again if you value your life."

"Why? You gonna beat me up?" he smirked. "I thought we agreed that the cycle of violence has to stop." _Damn it, why does he have to look so hott right now?! _She could instantly feel her serious expression forming into a smile.

"I am not violent. I prefer the term 'feisty,'" Haley informed him.

"I don't know, Baby James. You weren't always like that. Actually, you were a lot more sensitive before. I still remember that time Matt stole your favorite Barbie and you started crying," he reminded her.

"I wasn't crying," Haley denied—even though she knew she had. She was in the fourth grade. She'd had that Barbie doll since she was three. Plus, that one had the nicest hair. Taylor went through a weird hair-cutting phase and shaved the other dolls' heads years ago. _Seriously, why does he remember these random things about me?_

"Yes, you were," he smirked.

"Yeah, well…you…ugh, stop embarrassing me!" Haley exclaimed before whacking him again.

"See, I told you that you've turned violent," Nathan laughed.

"Are you guys going to talk through the whole movie?" Matt asked slightly annoyed from his spot on the loveseat.

"Hey, it's not my fault that your _feisty_..." he emphasized while looking at Haley "…sister is beating me up."

"Yeah, well, you deserve it," Haley defended.

"I second that," Lucas joined in.

"You don't even know what we're talking about," Nathan pointed out.

"So? Whatever is, I'm sure you started it."

"I agree. You can be a jerk, Nate Dogg," Tim added without taking his eyes off of the TV screen.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me, all of a sudden?" Nathan questioned. He looked back over at Haley when he heard her laughing. "You think this is funny?"

"Um…no," she answered while placing her hand over her mouth. However, it was obvious that she was getting a kick out of all of this.

"Oh, ok," Nathan stated nonchalantly. A second later, his hand went to her waist and gave it a quick squeeze as payback. Haley let out a small squeal and jumped.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded as Lucas and Tim laughed.

"Sorry. I forgot that you were ticklish. My bad," he stated innocently.

"You…"

"Will you guys please shut up?!" Matt exclaimed while giving them a pointed glare. They all settled down but still had amused smiles on their faces. _My brother really needs to lighten up, _Haley thought. An hour later, however, Haley was definitely not laughing. The alien movie was seriously starting to freak her out. _Why did I want to watch this again?_

"Ew!" she mumbled as the weird creature ripped out of another person's chest. At this point, her hands were tightly clutching both Lucas and Nathan's arms. Haley couldn't help but notice how hard Nathan's bicep was. But, unfortunately, that didn't completely distract her from the massacre she was watching on the screen.

"Cool," Tim commented.

"You ok?" Lucas questioned. Haley stared at the screen for a second before quickly looking away as one of the aliens killed another person in a very bloody and disgusting fashion.

"Perfect," she responded in a strained voice.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it," Matt reinforced. Haley was about to answer him back when she felt Nathan's hand on her arm.

"Come on," he stated before pulling her up.

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Haley asked as he led her into the kitchen.

"I need a drink," he said.

"So?" she questioned confused.

"I don't know where you guys keep everything. Besides, you were looking a little green. I figured I'd get you out of there for a while before you hurled." Haley thought about denying it but she knew that he was right. If she had to see one more disgusting scene, her lunch would most likely be making a reappearance—which would've definitely been embarrassing.

"Thanks," Haley replied. "I didn't think it would be that bad."

"No problem," he responded with another one of his sexy smiles. Haley leaned up against the counter for support. He always made her insides melt when he looked at her like that.

"So, um, what exactly did you want to drink?" she inquired before she completely zoned out on him.

"What do you have?"

"Water, soda, coffee, juice, and tea," Haley listed.

"Um, soda sounds good."

"Alright." Haley walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of cans.

"Thanks," Nathan said as she handed it to him. He then took a seat at the counter.

"You don't want to watch the rest of the movie?" Haley asked confused.

"Nah, it's kind of boring."

"Boring?" Haley laughed shocked. "Are you kidding?"

"I don't think it's that great. The first Alien was much better," he said with a shrug.

"I didn't see that one either," she stated while taking the seat next to him. She was glad that Nathan didn't want to watch the rest of the film. Haley didn't think her stomach could handle anymore "action." She'd much rather sit and talk with him.

"So, you're graduating in a few days," Nathan commented, changing the subject. "Are you nervous about your speech?"

"Ugh, yes," she groaned. "I've been obsessing about it for the past two weeks. I just don't want to get up there and say something tacky or cliché."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. You're like the smartest person I know." It seemed like every time Nathan came over to visit Taylor or Matt, there was some test or quiz that Haley aced up on the refrigerator. It had always been that way. Jimmy and Lydia thought it was important to acknowledge their children's achievements. His mom was the same way but it's not like Nathan was ever a good student. Most of his concentration was usually on basketball. Deb had put all of his old trophies and awards on their fireplace mantle, though.

"Yeah, but that doesn't really prevent public humiliation."

"Well, from what Matt and Taylor have told me, you're a total perfectionist. So I'm willing to bet that you don't know how to fail."

"I guess," Haley muttered. "I'll just be glad when it's over."

"But then there's the party afterwards," Nathan stated. "Your parents are probably going to have a speech of their own for you."

"God help me," she mumbled. When Matt and Taylor had graduated high school, Lydia and Jimmy had gotten up in front of everyone and talked about how proud they were of their kids. Of course, they had to add a few jokes here and there. But that was just their style. They could never really be serious for more than five minutes. Haley was a little nervous about what they were going to say about her.

"I can't wait," Nathan declared. "They're hilarious."

"Who's hilarious?" Taylor asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Your parents," he answered.

"Hey, keep your voice down," Haley warned. "If they hear you, it'll only fuel them more."

"Relax. They left the house an hour ago," Taylor explained as she looked through one of the cupboards.

"Where'd they go?"

"They went to buy some decorations for your graduation party. Then they were going to stop by the café to drop them off for Karen and Deb." Despite the fact that Haley worked at the café, it felt more like a second home to her. She was really close to Lucas' mom Karen and had been thrilled when she offered to have Haley's party there. It was going to be great.

"Where the hell are my potato chips?" Taylor questioned frustrated after searching a few more cupboards.

"Lucas ate them," Haley answered.

"Again?!"

"Yup."

"Lucas! Get your scrawny, mooching ass in here now!" Taylor yelled. Nathan smirked._ He's in for it now_, he thought. Taylor was usually very laidback. But she was fiercely territorial when it came to her beloved potato chips.

"Whatever happened, Nathan did it," Lucas stated while entering the kitchen.

"You know, I'm going to enjoy watching her kick your ass," Nathan replied smugly. Lucas rolled his eyes at him before returning his attention Taylor.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my food?!" she scolded. "Especially my chips!"

"Sorry, I was hungry," he defended.

"Ugh, I can't wait until you and Haley get married. Then you can move away and stop eating my food."

"Taylor, we're just friends," Haley stressed.

"Whatever you say, baby sis."

"I'm serious. A guy and a girl can be friends without…" Haley began. As she and Taylor went back and forth, Nathan felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw that he had a text message. He smiled when he saw that it was from Peyton. Ever since they met last week, the two had been talking back and forth on the phone almost every day—getting to know one another better. So far, Peyton seemed pretty cool. He'd called her just last night and had left a voicemail asking if she wanted to get together later in the week. As he stared at the message, it looked like he finally had gotten his answer.

"What are you smiling about?" Lucas suddenly questioned.

"Huh?"

"I said, what are you smiling about?" he repeated. Taylor and Haley stopped bickering and turned to face him.

"No reason," Nathan replied casually. His brother stared curiously at him until a smirk of his own graced his face.

"It's her, isn't it?"

"Who?" he played dumb.

"Your mystery girl."

"What mystery girl?" Taylor inquired with an interested looked. Nathan was about to answer when Lucas beat him to it.

"He met someone right before we left school last week," Lucas explained. "He won't say who it is but he's been calling her practically everyday."

"Really?" Taylor asked with an amused expression. "I don't think I've ever seen the great Nathan Scott so coy about a chick."

"I'm not being coy," Nathan defended. "I mean, I like her but I don't really know her that well. We've just talked. But we're going out Friday and…" Haley didn't hear anything Nathan said after that. She literally felt like she was going to throw up. Nathan had met someone else. And from his facial expressions as he talked, he seemed to be really interested in her. How the hell was she going to compete with another girl who was older?

"Haley, are you ok?" Lucas questioned a minute later—snapping her out of her muddled thoughts. Haley looked up and noticed that Taylor and Nathan were staring at her, too.

"I'm fine," she answered after a second. But even she could tell that her voice sounded far from convincing.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good," Taylor commented concerned.

"Haley?" Nathan prodded while putting a hand on her arm. She got up quickly out of her seat and moved away. She couldn't deal with him touching her right now.

"I…um…I forgot that I have an important errand to run," she made up. "I have to go."

"Right now?" Taylor asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later," Haley said before bolting out of the room. She had to get out of there before she completely lost it.

"Tutor Girl, where are you going?" Tim called as she passed by the living room. Matt sat up on the couch and watched her. Haley didn't answer. She just grabbed her mom's car keys off of the small table in the foyer and went out the front door—cringing as it slammed behind her.

* * *

"I can't believe this," Brooke muttered. Haley watched as she paced around the room. As soon as Haley left the house, she headed straight for Brooke's. She really needed her best friend. Haley was so upset and confused that she didn't know what to do. When Brooke first answered the door, all it took was one look for her to know that something was wrong. She quickly ushered Haley into the house. They then went up to Brooke's bedroom, and Haley told her everything that had just happened. Almost immediately her friend's sympathetic mood had transformed into one of outrage. "How could he possibly be interested in some skank he randomly met?" 

"I don't know. He's a guy," Haley stated. "It's what they do."

"That's no excuse," Brooke declared.

"Tigger, he really didn't do anything wrong. It's not like Nathan and I are dating. In fact, he barely notices me outside of the fact that I'm 'Baby James,'" Haley commented solemnly. _So much for my master plan_.

"That's not true. You talked and got along really well with him at the party," she pointed out. "And didn't you just say that you guys hung out again this afternoon."

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing," Brooke interrupted. "What we have here is a classic case of male stupidity."

"What?" Haley asked confused.

"Tutor Girl, men are dense. It's a common fact of life," Brooke explained. "They never notice the good things that they have right in front of them. All you need is one moment to really get his attention. Then he'll realize that he's wasting his time with that bimbo and want you."

"Brooke, it's not that simple," Haley objected. "To him, I'm just Taylor and Matt's little sister. That's never going to change."

"You don't know that until you try."

"I have tried! I mean, I've gone out of my way to talk to him every time I see him."

"But you just started doing that. You were always more reserved before," Brooke pointed out as she took a seat across from Haley on the bed. "Give him a chance to really notice it."

"Tigger, he's interested in someone else. Maybe…maybe we should just forget this whole thing," Haley stated as her eyes started to water. She tried to hold the tears back.  
She hadn't wanted to cry and let it affect her this badly. But then again, she really liked Nathan. She admired his talent and drive to succeed in life. Even though he had that knee injury, he didn't let it stop him from being involved in basketball. She loved how he was able to put that horrible experience behind him. Now he was sharing everything that he had learned over the years with others to help them become better athletes.

Haley also loved the way Nathan interacted with is mom. Once in awhile, he'd stop by the café during one of Haley's shifts. She would watch how he and Deb got along. She especially enjoyed watching him lift the heavy boxes that she and the others could hardly even drag. It was sweet how he helped out his mom. The view of his butt and bulging muscles at the time had been really nice, too.

And then there was that unyielding confidence of his. Some called him cocky—which could be true every so often—but Haley knew that that was mostly just a front. Like everyone else, Nathan had an image to live up to. He had been the star athlete of the basketball team, after all. But Haley had seen glimpses of kindness in him that most people never took the time to notice. She vividly remembered when some of Nathan's other jock friends in high school had been making fun of Tim one time. Everyone always joked about how he could be slow sometimes. But these guys had been downright cruel. They started teasing him mercilessly. As soon as Nathan saw that, he had intervened and really let them have it. They never even looked at Tim the wrong way again after that.

Over the years, Nathan kept on surprising Haley. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't suppress her growing feelings. There was just something about him that always seemed to draw her in. For almost four years, Haley had kept her mouth shut and not done anything to really make herself known to him. It wasn't until this past December when everyone was home for winter break that she finally decided to do something. But she wanted to start slow. Haley didn't want to become one of those girls who acted like complete no-minds and threw themselves shamelessly at him. She had more respect for herself than that.

But now Haley was starting to wonder if she'd missed her chance. Nathan had never really taken any special interest in one particular girl. She'd heard about him hooking up with girls at different parties. However, it never led to anything serious. Haley could've used all that time to get to know him better and let him see the real her. They didn't have to get together right away. All that would be important was that Nathan would view her as Haley. Not Baby James or Matt and Taylor's little sister. She was her own person who didn't need her older siblings to define her.

A part of Haley hoped that this new mystery girl would be just like the others. Maybe she was another floozy only interested in getting her time with the great Nathan Scott. Yes, Haley really wanted to believe that. It would make the most sense. But somehow, she got the feeling that this girl wasn't like the others. Something about her must have stood out to him in some way. Why else would Nathan take the time to talk to this mystery girl and get to know her before asking her out? Haley could automatically feel her stomach churn again just at the thought of it. It wasn't long before even more tears seemed to pour from her eyes.

"Haley," Brooke said tentatively as she took her hand. "Do you really like Nathan?" Haley nodded—not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Do you truly think that if you guys got together, that he could make you happy?" She nodded again.

"Then don't let some stupid bimbo discourage you," she advised. "It's not like he's marrying her or anything. He doesn't love her. He barely knows her. You still have a chance."

"I just…I just don't want to get my hopes up," Haley stated while trying to wipe away the tear tracks on her face. "Plus, we're going to California for the summer, Brooke. It's not like I'm going to be around."

"So? Give it all you've got now. Leave him with something to remember you by."

"And if that still doesn't work?" Haley asked

"Then he doesn't deserve you," Brooke declared. "Either that or he's gay because that graduation dress you have is to die for." Haley laughed as she wiped away her remaining tears. She was glad that she came to Brooke. Her best friend always had a way of cheering her up and giving her a new perspective.

"Thank you, Tigger," Haley replied while hugging her.

"You're welcome," she responded with a light squeeze. Brooke was right. Haley really hadn't revealed her true self to Nathan. It was only just recently that she'd started to make more of an effort around him. As Brooke had said, it would take time for him to notice the change. Even if he didn't ask her out, at least maybe she could alter his image of her in his mind. That was the most important thing. That's why Haley would give it one more chance. She'd never let things get in the way of what she wanted before. And she certainly wasn't going to start now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. This chapter doesn't have any Pathan interaction so don't worry. Anyway, please read and continue to review. I hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 5**

"Oh, would you look at that. I scored again!" Nathan proclaimed.

"That was a lucky shot," Lucas objected.

"There's no way you'd be able to do it again," Matt stated. It was Thursday afternoon. Nathan, Lucas, Tim, and Matt were hanging out at the River Court playing a couple of games of basketball. So far, Tim and Nathan were winning.

"Ball," Nathan called to Tim. His friend threw it to him. A second later, Nathan made another successful shot. "You were saying?"

"Now you're just showing off," Lucas muttered while shaking his head. Nathan smirked. Even with his knee injury, he was glad to see that he could still beat his brother and friend's asses at basketball.

"I believe that's game," Tim stated. "You guys want to take a break and just shoot around?"

"Sure," Matt answered. He grabbed the basketball off of the ground and took a shot. Meanwhile, Lucas walked over to one of the bushes near the court and pulled out a couple of other basketballs. It had always been their secret stash while growing up.

"So, you'll never guess who I ran into at the mall the other day," Tim said.

"Who?" Lucas asked before running towards the basket and making a perfect lay up.

"Theresa," he replied with a wide smile.

"Uh oh," Nathan sighed. "What happened?" He knew that Tim had developed a huge crush on her. However, his friend wasn't the smoothest operator when it came to women.

"Nothing much. We talked for a couple of minutes," Tim explained.

"That's it?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah, it went pretty well."

"So, did you get her number?" Nathan inquired curiously. _Maybe Tim's finally learning how to deal with women. _

"No. She slapped me and left," he added casually. The three stopped what they were doing to stare at him. _Ok, maybe I was wrong._ "What?"

"Why did she do that?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know. Everything was going great. I asked her about her classes for next semester and her plans for the summer," Tim answered.

"And that's it?" Matt prodded.

"Well, I complimented her, too," he added.

"What exactly did you say?" Nathan questioned.

"I said that I liked her perfume. Oh, and that she has the most bangin' ass I've ever seen." Nathan, Lucas, and Matt all looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"No wonder she slapped you," Matt commented. "Dim, how many times have we told you to stop saying things like that?"

"I was only stating the truth," he defended. "Her ass is fine. Besides, women love it when you drool over them."

"But they don't like to be treated as objects," Lucas informed him. "You made her sound like some piece of meat."

"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Tim asked incredulously.

"A simple 'you look beautiful' would've done the trick," Nathan explained.

"Oh. Oops," Tim said with a shrug. Matt just looked at him for a second before laughing. Nathan and Lucas soon joined in. Tim may be really clueless, but he sure was a hell of a character.

"So that's what I should do next time?" Tim asked on a more serious note. "I should just say she looks beautiful?"

"Well, actually, I'd start small first. The thing you said about her perfume was good. Or you could compliment her hair and say that she looks great in her outfit," Lucas advised. "You don't want to come on too strong."

"But Nathan said…"

"Well, Nathan isn't exactly known for feeding women romantic lines," Matt interrupted.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan questioned. "I can be romantic."

"No, you're charming. Not romantic," Lucas stated. "I've heard your various cheesy pickup lines. And not one of them involves calling a woman beautiful."

"I don't always use pickup lines," he objected. But Nathan knew deep down that his friends were right. There were certain lines he used. And he never actually called a woman beautiful before. Well, maybe his mom. But that was different. She was family. With regular women, he'd say "pretty" or "hott" but never "beautiful." It wasn't that the women he came into contact or hooked up with weren't attractive. They definitely were. It was just that none of them seemed to really fit the description of the word.

When Nathan thought of beauty, it wasn't just about a woman having a gorgeous face or hott body. He always envisioned someone with grace, poise, intelligence, and kindness. Random bimbos slurring and throwing themselves at him during parties usually did not have any of those qualities. Peyton definitely wasn't a bimbo. Aside from her lack of navigation skills, she seemed smart. And she certainly wasn't hard on the eyes. She seemed like a good person who was fun to be around. However, she was a little too sarcastic and quirky for him to place her in the category of beautiful just yet. He didn't really know her all that well. But, nevertheless, he was eager to find out more.

"Sure you don't," Matt teased before socking him in the arm. Lucas just shook his head as Tim snickered.

"Whatever," Nathan muttered before swiping the basketball out of Tim's hands. He protested, but Nathan just ignored him and made a free throw. The guys continued to shoot around and talk casually for the next half hour.

"So, Matt, did you ever find out what was up with Tutor Girl the other day?" Tim questioned as he shot a fade away. Nathan and Lucas stopped mid-dribble and looked over at Matt. They were all a little concerned for Haley. Nathan had no idea what happened on Tuesday, but she had looked visibly upset before practically running out of the house. She wasn't the type of person who changed moods like that so quickly.

"Yeah, she told Taylor that she was supposed to meet up with Brooke over at the high school. They had to hand out the new cheerleading uniforms for the girls and pass down the captainship," Matt explained. "I guess she forgot and almost stood Brooke up."

"I'd run out of there, too," Tim commented. "Have you ever seen Brooke when she's mad?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Matt replied. "She gave me a bruise on my shin that lasted a week one time."

"Why?" Nathan asked as he started shooting the basketball again.

"She thought that I called her fat or something."

"Oh, man, you're lucky that you're alive," Lucas laughed as he, too, made another shot.

"So Haley's ok?" Nathan tried to make sure. He and Haley weren't extremely close but he had still been worried about her, nonetheless.

"Yeah," Matt confirmed. "It was just important 'cheer business.' You know how she and Brooke get about that stuff." Nathan nodded knowingly. He remembered when Brooke and Haley had become co-captains of the squad their sophomore year. He could still hear them counting off the beats as the other girls rehearsed the routine over and over again. Certain days, they seemed very close to taking Whitey's title of "drill sergeant" away from him.

"Do you know if they're going to cheer for our team at THC?" Lucas asked. "I heard Solaris was looking for some new girls."

"Yeah, I talked to her. She's going to have Haley and Brooke tryout Monday."

"When did you talk to her?" Nathan asked curiously.

"A couple of days ago."

"On the phone?" he prodded.

"Not really," Matt answered before quickly turning his attention to the basket. Nathan smirked. Solaris was captain of the basketball cheerleading squad at THC. She also happened to be one of the hottest, most popular, and sought-after girls on campus. Nathan would casually talk to her every now and then when the guys were taking a break during basketball practice. He had introduced her and Matt at some party a couple of months ago. They had hit it off immediately, and the guys had taken bets on when the two would finally hook up. At the slow rate thing were going between them, it looked like Lucas was going to win that hundred bucks.

"Did you go on a date?" Lucas questioned nonchalantly.

"Not necessarily. We met up for coffee."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" Tim joked while wriggling his eyebrows. Nathan smirked when Matt threw the basketball he was holding and hit Tim in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Tim groaned. "Geez, I was just joking."

"Solaris isn't like that," Matt said defensively. "And we're just friends." Nathan had to suppress a laugh. He knew that his friend already had it bad for her. However, it was obvious to everyone else but him. Matt could definitely be a little dense at times.

"It looks like we're going to have to extend that bet," Lucas whispered to Nathan. He nodded in agreement. He'd guessed about a month. Lucas had predicted exactly two months. That was pretty much shot to Hell by now. Tim wasn't even close with his. He'd bet two days.

"Speaking of dates, what's this I heard about you going out on Friday with your mystery girl, Nate?" Matt inquired.

"Yeah, when the hell are you going to tell us who she is?" Tim added.

"First of all, the date has been pushed back to Saturday night. Second, I'm not telling you anything until I spend some more time with her," Nathan answered.

"Wait, so are you not going to Haley's graduation party?" Lucas asked.

"No, I'll be there for a while. I just have to leave a little early." Nathan hadn't originally planned on going out with Peyton on Saturday. But her father was coming home Friday night from one of his trips to sea. He worked on a dredging boat. And from what Peyton had told Nathan, her father wasn't around that often. She wanted to spend some time with her dad. So Nathan agreed to pick Peyton up at her house the next night around nine o'clock.

"Are you nervous?" Matt questioned.

"Come on, guys. It's me," Nathan laughed. He never got himself worked up over a woman. He was a little anxious about going out with Peyton since this was his first formal date with someone. Most of the other women he was with were hookups. This would be a change. But Nathan didn't really think that it was something to stress out about.

"Do you always have to be such a cocky ass?" Lucas laughed.

"Basically," he smirked back.

"Ok, so now that we've officially determined that Nate's ego is overly inflated, you guys wanna stop the chit chatting and play another game?" Tim proposed. Nathan rolled his eyes before nodding in agreement.

"Definitely. We're not letting you win again," Lucas declared.

"We'll see about that," Nathan retorted as they all got into their positions.

Matt gave him a smirk of his own before replying, "Game on, Scott."

* * *

"Is this how it's supposed to look?" Haley asked as she put on her graduation cap. She, along with Brooke, was getting ready in her bedroom that Saturday afternoon. Brooke's parents had decided to extend their business trip in New York. So they wouldn't be able to make it to her graduation. They would just end up meeting her when she finally arrived in California next week. Haley knew that Brooke, even though she refused to admit it, was upset. So she'd invited her best friend to come over and get ready with her. She was also going to spend the night since Haley didn't want Brooke to be alone in that big, empty house of hers. 

"It's perfect," Lydia replied while dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She was supposed to be helping them get ready but just ended up crying, instead. They hadn't even arrived at the high school for the ceremony and her mother was already getting emotional.

"Mom, don't cry. You're going to ruin your makeup," Taylor stated.

"I know. I can't help it," she sniffled. "It's just that my baby girl is all grown up." Lydia then walked over to Haley and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Mom, seriously, you're going to make me cry, too," Haley laughed.

"Don't you dare, Tutor Girl. Hold off the waterworks for as long as possible. Do you know how long it took me to get your eye makeup perfect?" Brooke cut in.

"Oh, you're so grown up, too, Brooke," Lydia sobbed while turning to the brunette. "I still remember when you girls were eight years old. You'd have sleepovers and then spend the day in your pajamas munching on cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons."

"Wasn't that just last week?" Taylor teased. Haley playfully nudged her sister as she took off her cap to fix her hair again.

"I'm going to miss having you around, Brookie," Lydia stated.

"Mrs. James, please," Brooke said as she, too, started to tear up. That, in turn, made Haley's eyes water even more. A second later, a knock sounded on the door, and Matt poked his head in.

"Great," he muttered. The then looked away before shouting, "Dad, I think it's going to be another fifteen minutes. They're all crying!"

"I'll be right up. Let me get the camera," Jimmy's voice called from downstairs. Haley and Brooke quickly tried to fix their makeup with the help of Taylor. A couple of minutes later, Jimmy was in the room snapping away.

"Dad, can you take it easy?" Haley requested. "I need my eyesight in order to read my speech later." At that, Lydia cried even harder. Her mother could get very emotional over these types of events.

"You girls get your gowns on and meet the rest of us downstairs. I want to take some more pictures of you before we leave," Jimmy instructed as he put a comforting arm around Lydia and led her out of the room.

"We'll be right down," Brooke said. After they all left, the two walked over to the mirror and glanced at themselves one last time.

"We look hott," Brooke declared causing Haley to laugh.

"Yeah, we do," Haley agreed. Her white dress along with her light makeup and wavy hair really brought everything together. Haley then walked over to her desk and made sure to grab her valedictorian speech. She took a deep breath as she looked through the pages to make sure they were all there.

"You're going to do great," Brooke assured her. "Don't worry."

"Thanks, Tigger," she replied before hugging her.

"No problem. Now come on." Brooke led them over to Haley's bed where their blue graduation gowns were laying. When they were all set, they headed downstairs. Jimmy took what seemed like a couple dozen more pictures before they finally made it to the high school. The ceremony was to be held in the gym. It was huge and had more than enough space to hold the hundreds of people there. Haley gulped as she took in the crowd. _Oh crap_.

"Wow, practically the whole town is here," Matt commented.

"Dude, shut up!" Taylor scolded before whacking him in the stomach. "Haley is nervous as it is."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized sheepishly. Haley just took another deep breath.

"We're going to go find our seats. Knock 'em dead, Haley Bop," Jimmy said before giving her a hug. Lydia, who was still somewhat dabbing at her eyes, along with Matt and Taylor embraced Haley and followed Jimmy to their seats.

"Ah, Haley, there you are!" Principal Turner exclaimed. "I've been looking for you. You can take your seat on stage now. We're going to begin in twenty minutes."

"Ok, thanks," Haley replied as he then handed her the valedictorian sash. Afterward, she turned to Brooke.

"I know that you're going to do awesome," Brooke encouraged. "But if you do get really nervous, just look at me, Tutor Girl. I'll telepathically send you some of my positive energy." Haley laughed.

"Thank you, Tigger," she replied sincerely. She gave her best friend one last hug before walking over to the stage. She took her seat between student council president Marvin McFadden and salutatorian Erica Marsh. They would also be making speeches. Unfortunately, they'd be going before her. Haley really just wanted to get hers over with.

"So, Haley, congratulations on being valedictorian," Erica commented.

"Thank you," Haley replied slightly surprised. She and Erica had never been friends. They were always constant rivals when it came to their GPAs. It took a lot of work for Haley to balance school, tutoring, and cheerleading. That's why she had been so thrilled to hear that she was valedictorian. It was nice to know that all of those times she busted her ass and practically wore herself down had paid off.

"You know, it's funny. If it wasn't for that one math test I bombed because I was sick, then I would've been valedictorian," she said offhandedly with fake kindness. _I knew she would say something like that._

"Oh, really? I thought that you flunked the test because you had stayed up drinking the night before at a party and hooked up with that weird kid Percy from the chess club," Haley said in the same nonchalant tone. "You know, the one with all the bad acne and obsession with Star Trek."

"Well, that didn't happen," Erica stated with a strained grin.

"I figured I must have heard wrong. I mean, really, how pathetic and humiliating would have that been if it was true?" Haley retorted with sweet smile. Erica's entire face had turn beet red, and it looked like the steam was ready to come out of her ears. _Take that, be-yotch_, Haley thought triumphantly as Erica gave a little huff and turned around to face the front in her seat. That girl was always such an annoying braggart.

Haley then looked out at the ever-growing crowd. A genuine smile formed on her face as she saw Karen and Lucas take seats next to her family and other relatives that had arrived. A few minutes later, her heart sped up when she noticed Nathan, Tim, and Deb joining the bunch. _Damn, he looks good_, Haley noted as she stared at Nathan. He was wearing black dress pants, a light blue dress shirt, and a navy blue tie. All of the guys were dressed in their best, but Nathan always seemed to look devastatingly handsome. She didn't have to be up close to him to know that his shirt complimented his striking blue eyes.

A couple of seconds later, Nathan's attention turned from Matt to the stage. Their eyes met, and Haley could've sworn that time had stopped for a moment. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles. She laughed a little when he and the others gave her thumbs up. She saw a flash go off next to them and wasn't surprised that her father was still taking pictures. Her mother, meanwhile, had the video camera in her hand. _Great, now there will be physical proof if I screw up_, she inwardly groaned. But Haley didn't really get a chance to dwell on that. Principal Turner had walked up to the microphone, and the crowd started to settle down. Haley looked at the large clock on the wall and saw that it was time to begin.

Principal Turner was the first one to make a speech. He was followed by the vice principle, superintendent, and the town mayor. Marvin made his way up to the podium next. Erica followed a little while after. And then, suddenly, it was Haley's turn. She had to wait a couple of minutes as Principal Turner listed her many accomplishments before finally introducing her. The crowd applauded. As Haley made her way to the podium, she could've sworn she heard some hooting coming from her family and friends' seating area. She placed her speech in front of her before looking out at the audience. Almost immediately she felt her stomach muscles tighten and her palms start to sweat. She was so nervous. It wasn't until Haley glanced in her best friend's direction that she felt a little more at ease. Brooke was the one who had helped her practice what she was going to say. And right now, she had the biggest and brightest smile on her face. Haley really did draw some strength from that. She then took another deep breath, glanced down momentarily at the page in front of her, and looked back up at the audience, ready to begin.

* * *

"Nathan, sweetie, can you just grab that platter and put it on the large table out front?" Deb requested. 

"Sure, Mom," Nathan replied. Everyone was at the café for the graduation party. Haley, Brooke, Jimmy, and Lydia, however, had stayed behind at the high school for a little bit so that they could take pictures. Haley and Brooke had also wanted to talk with some of their other friends before leaving. Meanwhile, Deb, Karen, and the rest of the staff at the café were running around like crazy trying to finish up a few last minute things. Nathan and Lucas also ended up volunteering to help.

"Thanks," Deb said as she walked over to assist Karen in decorating Haley's cake. Nathan grabbed the large platter as instructed and brought it out to the front. After he placed in on the table, he spotted his friends a few feet away and walked over to join them.

"…and then I put my clothes back on and got the hell out of that loser's room," Taylor finished her story. "I mean, what kind of guy has Celine Dion posters in his dorm room?"

"Do I want to know?" Nathan questioned.

"Definitely not," Matt stated with a shudder.

"Hey, Nathan, when are they serving the food? I'm starved," Tim said.

"When Haley finally gets here," Lucas answered as he approached the group.

"Do they still need help in the kitchen?" Nathan asked.

"They have it under control for now." Nathan nodded, and the group of friends all continued to talk casually. Nathan checked his watch to keep an eye on the time. It was quarter of six at the moment. He had a little over three hours before he had to pick up Peyton for their date. It was about five minutes later that Haley, Brooke, Jimmy, and Lydia finally arrived. As soon as Haley entered the café, everyone began clapping loudly. Tim hooted but quickly stopped when Taylor whacked him hard in the stomach and told him to act more mature. She and Matt then walked over to Haley and their parents.

Nathan watched as Haley hugged them and started to greet her other relatives and guests. She had the most dazzling smile on her face, and Nathan didn't blame her. Haley had completely rocked her valedictorian speech. Nathan had been bored to death with all of the other spiels he had to listen to before it was Haley's turn. He had been nervous for her at first. Nathan knew that she had been stressing out over it for a couple of weeks. But as soon as Haley's strong and composed voice spoke into the microphone, Nathan knew that she was going to be fine. And the speech turned out awesome. Nathan, Lucas, and Tim continued to talk before Haley finally made her way over to them several minutes later.

"Tutor Girl, you were da bomb!" Tim exclaimed before enveloping her in a tight embrace. Haley laughed as he lifted her slightly off of the ground.

"Yeah, you were incredible," Lucas added as he pulled her away from Tim to give her hug.

"Thanks. I was so nervous I thought I was going to faint," Haley admitted.

"No, you did great," Nathan assured her. He, too, pulled her in for a hug. Almost instantly, he caught the scent of gardenia in her hair. It wasn't too strong but it was enough to alert his senses. He liked it, nonetheless, and found himself a little disappointed when she pulled away and couldn't smell it anymore.

"Stop it, guys. You're going to make me blush," Haley teased. Nathan smirked when he saw that her cheeks were already turning pink.

"I think it's a little late for that," Lucas joked—noticing it, too.

"Shut up," she laughed before giving him a playful smack. She then started fanning herself. "Is it just me or is it hot in here?"

"It's a little stuffy since the place is so packed," Lucas agreed.

"Well, you still have your graduation gown on," Tim pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," Haley said while shaking her head. "I almost forgot." She first removed her valedictorian sash. Afterward, she undid the back of the gown before finally slipping it off.

"Holy shit," Tim mumbled as Lucas' eyes widened. Nathan stood absolutely still with his mouth slightly ajar in surprise as he took in Haley's appearance. The white dress she was wearing fit her like a glove. Every curve of her body was accented. Her shoulders and upper chest were bare with the exception of the thin, white halter straps. And if Nathan wasn't mistaken, was that a little bit of cleavage he saw? _'Holy shit' is right_, he thought when his eyes traveled further down her body. The jeweled heels that Haley was wearing only seemed to enhance her shapely legs and the rest of the dress.

"What?" Haley asked curiously when they all continued to stare at her silently.

"Um, nothing," Lucas stated while clearing his throat. He then discreetly elbowed both Tim and Nathan—snapping them both out of their trances. "You look great."

"Damn, Tutor Girl, that dress is ho-" Tim began when Lucas elbowed him again and gave him a stern look. "Ho-hopelessly stunning," Tim quickly corrected. Haley gave him an amused smile before turning to stare at Nathan.

"Yeah, you look really nice," he complimented. Although, "nice" didn't even come close to what he was really thinking. It's not like Nathan had never seen Haley in a dress before. Hell, he'd seen her in her cheerleading uniform tons of times in high school. But he never recalled her looking as shapely then as she did now. _When did Baby James get a figure?_ He then quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts. Afterward, he raised his eyes back to her face. This was Haley—his best friends' younger sister. He shouldn't be thinking things like that and staring at her. _I'm just shocked. That's it_, he reasoned. Haley had certainly caught him, and the others, off guard with her outfit.

"Thanks, guys," Haley replied as her blush deepened.

"Hello, boys," Brooke greeted the group happily. Nathan's expression of shock quickly turned into a smirk when he noticed his brother practically drooling over Brooke in her red dress.

"Hi," the guys replied. Nathan's smirk widened when Lucas' voice came out a little high.

"I'm sorry to break up the fun, but I need to borrow Tutor Girl for a couple of minutes," Brooke stated before looping her arm through Haley's. Afterward, she led her across the room to another group of friends. Nathan, Lucas, and Tim all glanced at each other.

"Well, that was a surprise," Tim commented.

"What's a surprise?" Matt asked as he rejoined the group. Nathan noticed Lucas and Tim tense up. He could feel himself become slightly on edge. If Matt knew that they had all been gawking at Haley a few minutes ago in her dress, he would've killed them.

"That the crab cake appetizers were actually good," Nathan quickly lied as Lucas and Tim nodded in agreement. "You know how seafood can be gross sometimes." _Wow, good one_, he thought sarcastically to himself. _That wasn't at all lame. _

"I haven't tried them yet," Matt replied as he looked at all of them curiously. But he seemed to dismiss it a second later. "And I'm not going back over near the food table. My aunts are all over there, and they have already pinched my cheeks enough tonight." The three guys snickered at him before settling into light conversation. Occasionally, Nathan would follow Lucas' gaze to see him sneaking peeks at Brooke. Nathan's eyes, however, only stayed on her for a second before he found his gaze focusing in on Haley. She really did look amazing in that dress. He watched as she sat with her parents, Brooke, Taylor, and a few other people while eating dinner. Nathan and the guys eventually filled up their own plates from the buffet table and took a seat somewhat nearby.

It was a little while later that Deb and Karen wheeled out Haley's cake. Jimmy and Lydia then stood up to give their speech about Haley. As expected, it was both moving and hilarious. Haley's face was crimson in the beginning before she got slightly teary eyed. At the end, she hugged both her parents. Then she embraced Karen and Deb for throwing her such a wonderful party. Afterward, the cake was served.

Nathan glanced to his left and noticed that Lucas was no longer sitting next to him. He looked around and saw that he had made his way over to Brooke's table and was offering her a tissue. Apparently, she, too, was getting emotional. Tim soon got up and started trying to talk to a random group of girls. By the disgruntled looks on their faces, he could tell that his friend wasn't having any luck. Matt was off to the side joking around with a few cousins. Since Nathan was basically alone at the table, he decided to get up and mingle. He walked over to his mom—who was talking with Karen, Haley, and her parents.

"Hey, Nate," Jimmy greeted him with a pleasant smile.

"Hi, Mr. James," Nathan replied. He then nodded his head to Lydia. "Mrs. James."

"Hi, Nathan," Lydia responded warmly. She then looked at him for a second before asking, "Did you get taller or am I shrinking?"

"Um, I guess I'm a little taller," he answered with a shrug.

"A couple of inches," Deb clarified. "He seriously needs to stop growing before he eats me out of house and home." She nudged him playfully a second later.

"It's the same with Lucas. Now that he's back from college, I don't have any leftovers anymore," Karen added with a smile. "I had to buy my third gallon of milk this week, too."

"Matt is just like that," Lydia stated laughing. "If I didn't rein him in, poor Haley and Taylor wouldn't get anything to eat."

"He's a pig," Haley agreed jokingly.

"I second that," Jimmy joined in. He then looked back over at Nathan. "So, what's your height now, Nate?"

"Uh, 6" 2' I think," Nathan responded.

"Wow," he commented impressed. He then got a mischievous smile on his face. "Stand next to Haley for a sec, will you?"

"Oh God, please don't rub it in," Haley laughed. Nathan smirked as he moved next to her. She barely reached his chest. And that was with her heels.

"Yup, you're officially short," Lydia stated teasingly as they all laughed.

"I'm not short!" Haley protested. "I'm 5" 3' which is considered petite."

"Maybe I should just start calling you munchkin from now on," Jimmy kidded.

"Dad," Haley groaned. But Nathan noticed that she was smiling despite her best efforts not to. He also saw her face starting to turn a little red.

"Nah, munchkin is too babyish. I like Mini Me better," Lydia added—causing them all to laugh harder.

"Mom!"

"Oh, what about smurf?" Jimmy added with a snort.

"That's it. I'm leaving until you get it all out of your system," Haley announced while shaking her head defeated. Her face was now bright red, and Nathan felt his own smile widen. He then watched as she made her way over to the stairs that led to the roof.

"Thumbelina, come back!" Lydia called as Haley continued to walk away.

"They're just joking, you know?" he said catching up to her. He didn't want her to think they were picking on her—especially at her own party. He was glad to see, though, that she was actually laughing.

"I know. I just need some fresh air," she replied while giving him a small smile.

"Alright," Nathan said before turning around to leave her alone. He noticed that Tim was still annoying the same group of girls. _I should probably go over there before he makes an even bigger ass out of himself, _he thought. But Haley's small hand on his shoulder stopped him. He felt a peculiar jolt run through his body at the contact.

"Did you want to join me?" she offered once he turned to face her again. His mind became a little hazy when he noticed how close together they were standing. Haley's chest was practically brushing up against his. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the urge to move away, though.

"Uh, sure," Nathan said in a somewhat lower voice than he'd intended. Haley gave him another smile before gesturing for him to follow her. As they ascended the stairs, Nathan, once again, found his eyes raking over her dress. He could see a little bit of her exposed back. The rest was covered by her wavy blonde tresses. His eyes took in her hips and then went down lower to her ass that was hugged by the material of the dress. Nathan shook his head vigorously as he tried to keep whatever fog that was filling his brain from completely taking over. _It's Baby James_, he kept repeating over in his head. _Don't be an idiot. _

It took a few seconds but he finally managed to get his mind back under control. At least, that was until Haley grabbed the hem of her dress in her hands so that it wouldn't hit the dirty stairs. The material automatically tightened further around her ass and more of her legs were exposed. Nathan gulped while roughly running a hand through his hair. The "Baby James" mantra that was running through his head was quickly losing its affect. _Oh crap…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, first of all, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to update this story sooner. I had final exams all last week, and then a family crisis popped up. Then add the holidays into the mix, and I'm sure you can understand how crazy things get. But thank you all so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous ones. It's all Naley, and I wanted to keep it by itself. The next chapter will be a lot longer. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it and will leave a review! Happy Holidays!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Damn it!" Nathan cursed under his breath when his golf ball missed the hole. He vaguely heard Haley suppressing her laughter nearby. But he pushed that aside and concentrated on his putting. "Oh, come on!" he exclaimed when the ball passed right over the hole again.

"You really suck at this," Haley pointed out—no longer containing her laughter.

"Sshh," Nathan said as he got back into his previous position. "I'm concentrating, so no more comments from the peanut gallery." Haley shrugged silently as he tried for the tenth time to get the ball in the hole. The two had been playing on the miniature golf course that Keith and Lucas had built up on the roof ten years ago for almost an hour now. Haley, in between shifts at the café, would usually come up here with Lucas and hang out. They'd put up strings of lights so that they could play at night, too. Haley, personally, thought that it looked best at night. It gave the place a very fun atmosphere. But now that Haley was up here with Nathan, she couldn't help but think that it seemed kind of romantic.

"Finally!" Nathan practically shouted when the ball went in.

"Nice work," Haley stated while giving him a golf clap. "It took you ten tries, but the important thing is that you got there."

"Are you mocking me?" Nathan questioned with a kinked eyebrow. "Because if so, let's see you make that shot. That cow is possessed."

"Oh, I'll make it," she declared confidently. Haley put her ball down and positioned her club properly. She tried to not pay attention to Nathan, but she could feel his gaze boring into her. Luckily, she managed to tear her mind away from him long enough to make the perfect swing. The ball rolled through the plastic cow's mouth, out its butt, and into the hole on the other side.

"Yes!" Haley cheered.

"How did that happen?" Nathan asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he just lost to Haley because of some stupid plastic cow.

"I told you I'm good," she said. "You don't have to hit the ball that hard. One clean, semi-gentle swing is all you need."

"Yeah, I guess subtlety isn't really my thing," he admitted.

"Definitely not," Haley laughed as she put her club back on the rack.

"You know, I think that's the first sport I've actually sucked at."

"Is miniature golf even considered a sport?" she questioned curiously.

"Well, technically, I…uh…I guess it…actually, I don't even know," he finally declared. Haley laughed before bending over to pick up her ball. It was in that moment that Nathan's eyes seemed to take on a mind of their own, once again. They automatically honed in on her ass and legs. _Snap out of it, idiot_, he berated himself. As much fun as he'd had playing miniature golf with Haley, he was glad that the game was over. Whenever her back was turned, he just couldn't take his eyes off of her.

But it wasn't like she didn't look good from the front, either. Haley's hair was curled and rested gently on her shoulders. Her eye shadow was light and shimmery and seemed to contrast her dark brown eyes. Her cheeks had a pink hue, and her lip gloss was wet and shiny. Her makeup, overall, looked great. Nathan hated it when girls caked everything on. He loved how Haley's makeup was noticeable but still appeared natural.

After Haley had put the rest of the golf things away, she turned around to find Nathan staring at her, once again. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time as they played. Haley had been trying desperately to control that blush of hers, but she had a feeling that it wasn't working. Being close to him coupled with that intense gaze of his was making it that much more difficult. However, she wasn't going to complain. Haley had wanted Nathan to notice her. And thanks to her wonderful dress, it seemed as though she'd had the desired effect.

"So, Nathan, what are your plans for the summer?" Haley questioned as she took a seat on the round picnic table nearby. Nathan shook his head slightly. He couldn't believe that he'd been staring at her again. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He looked back at Haley to see if she had noticed. Luckily, he didn't see any signs of her staring at him like he was a weirdo. He then walked over to the table and took a seat next to her—making sure that there was some space between them. Every time he got physically close to her, even when they were playing golf, an odd haze seemed to fill his mind.

"Uh, nothing special. Whitey, Lucas, and I are planning to go over the game tapes from last season to see what the team needs to work on in the fall," he explained. "Other than that, I'll probably just hang out with the gang and help my mom at the café."

"Sounds like you're going to be busy," Haley commented.

"Yeah. What about you?" Nathan asked. "What are you and Brooke going to do in California?"

"We'll probably go shopping and lounge around at the beach," she answered. "We just want to relax before our first semester."

"That's good. Moving into the dorms and new classes are always stressful—especially as a freshman."

"Yeah, but I think I'm ready. I've always looked forward to college. It doesn't seem like as much of a circus as high school."

"It depends on what crowd you roll with," Nathan said. Haley nodded before leaning back on her hands to look up at the night sky. She loved just staring at the stars.

"Well, I'll see how it goes. Maybe a few of my stupid predictions will actually be right this year," she muttered.

"Predictions?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah, it's something that Lucas and I do every year," Haley explained.

"I don't get it," he stated. Haley laughed softly before getting up. Nathan watched as she walked over to the brick wall. She pulled out one of the loose bricks and then a small tin box. Afterward, she returned to her previous spot next to him. "Before school starts, we come up here and try to guess what is going to happen that year. Then we put it in this little box, place it back in its hiding spot, and don't look at it again until school ends."

"That's kind of cool," he complimented with one of his sexy smiles that made Haley just want to melt. "What types of things did you predict?"

"I'll show you," she stated before opening the box. She pulled out a few pieces of paper and handed them to him. As Nathan read over them, his smile only seemed to widen.

"'This year I'll kiss a boy,'" Nathan read.

"Not that one," Haley said before swiping it out of his hand.

"I hope it works out for you, Baby James," he teased laughing.

"Shut up," Haley mumbled while playfully rolling her eyes. "That was from the seventh grade."

"Was the prediction right that year?" he questioned curiously.

"Actually, yes. It was," she answered.

"Who did you kiss?" Nathan asked before he could stop himself. He didn't mean to pry. But for some reason, he really wanted to know.

"Lucas," Haley replied. Nathan frowned at that.

"Lucas? As in my brother Lucas? Lucas Scott?"

"Yeah," Haley confirmed sheepishly. "It was for some stupid dare that Taylor came up with. It wasn't a big deal."

"But he's two years older than you," Nathan pointed out. He really didn't like the idea of his brother kissing her when she was so young. In fact, he didn't like the idea of Lucas kissing Haley at all.

"So? It's not that much of an age difference. He could kiss me now if he wanted, and it wouldn't be a big deal."

"He better not," Nathan warned. Haley laughed at that.

"You sound a little jealous, Scott," she teased.

"I'm not," he declared. "I'm just simply trying to protect your virtue, Baby James."

"Well, I'm a big girl, Nathan. I can handle myself," Haley replied while crossing her legs. The hem of her dress slid a little further up allowing more of her creamy white thighs to show. Nathan's fingers itched to touch them and see if they were as smooth as they looked.

"Does Matt know?" he asked a second later. That damn haze was starting to take over again. Hopefully, mentioning his best friend's name would remind him that if he ever acted on such an impulse, he could expect an ass whooping later on.

"No. And don't tell him," she stated before adding jokingly, "Lucas is too young to die."

"I won't say anything," Nathan promised. _"Just don't do it again,"_ he wanted to add.

"Thank you." Haley then returned her attention back to the sky. Nathan, meanwhile, looked over a few of her other predictions.

"'This year I'll finally learn how to make a free shot,'" Nathan read before laughing out loud.

"What's so funny?" she asked now glancing at him.

"It's called a free throw, Haley. Not a 'free shot,'" he explained still cracking up.

"Whatever. I'm not a sports person. So sue me."

"Then why did you make it one of your predictions?"

"Because I didn't want to…" she trailed off.

"You didn't want to what?" Nathan prodded with a curious smile.

"I didn't want to fail gym class," Haley admitted. "And stop smirking."

"I'm not smirking," he said—even though he knew that she was right.

"Yes, you are," she argued.

"I just don't get how someone can fail gym class."

"Well, we're not all born athletic."

"But you cheerlead," Nathan pointed out.

"Yeah, but I have no coordination when it comes to making touchdowns."

"Baskets, Haley," he corrected while shaking his head. "They're called baskets."

"Whatever."

"Well, let's see it."

"See what?" Haley asked puzzled.

"Let me see how you shoot the ball," he requested.

"Oh no, I don't think that's such a good idea," she immediately objected. Haley knew that she looked like a complete idiot when it came to sports. "Besides, there's no ball around so there's no point."

"So? It's most likely your stance that needs work. Now let's see it," he persisted before standing. A second later, Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and pulled her to stand up in front of him.

"I can't, Nathan."

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to laugh," Haley said.

"You do realize I saw you in that weird poncho thing you wore freshman year, right?" he joked.

"Oh my God, will you let that go. Everyone has already made their feelings about that particular item of clothing very clear," she replied. Nathan smirked when the blush started to form again on her cheeks.

"I will as soon as you show me your stance," Nathan stated.

"Ugh, fine. But don't laugh," she warned.

"Scout's honor," he replied before making the little sign. Haley sighed and looked at him skeptically one more time. A second later, she finally took her position. Nathan didn't say anything at first. He just stared at her with those piercing blue eyes of his. Haley's stomach did flip flops at the sight. After a minute or so, she fidgeted under his gaze as he continued to look at her.

"Uh, Nathan?" Haley prodded.

"Stand up straight," he instructed. She did as she was told. Nathan walked around her for a couple of seconds. _He's probably surveying the damage,_ she thought. He then stopped directly behind her.

"It's not too bad," he declared. "Just square your shoulders."

"Ok," she obliged. A second later, she felt Nathan come closer. Haley almost shivered when she felt his chest brush up against her back. It wasn't until his hands went to her waist that the goose bumps formed on her skin.

"Relax your hips," he said softly into her ear. "Bend your knees."

"Now what?" she asked quietly. Haley was surprised that she could even talk. Every nerve in her body seemed to be fizzling from his touch.

"Shoot."

"With the imaginary ball?" she questioned with an amused smile.

"Yeah," he smirked. "And don't forget to put your whole body into it." Haley nodded before taking her imaginary shot.

"How did I do?"

"You got it in!" Nathan declared proudly. "Am I a good coach or what?" Haley laughed while shaking her head. She then turned around in his arms to face him.

"The best," she proclaimed with a beaming smile. "Even if the ball and hoop weren't real."

"Those are minor details. I've got skills," he said with a shrug.

"Not in miniature golf, though," Haley reminded him laughing.

"It was the cow's fault," he defended.

"Just keep telling yourself that," she teased while patting his cheek. Nathan rolled his eyes and was about say something else when he suddenly felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. Haley's hand had slid from his face back down to his arm. For some reason, Nathan felt the contact radiate throughout his body. It was then that he also became acutely aware of how close they actually were to each other. Haley's petite frame was pressed up against him, and his arms were wrapped snuggly around her waist. Nathan knew that he should let her go. _Matt would kill me_, he thought. He hoped that it would scare some sense into him. But the only thing that was really scaring him right now was how much he liked having Haley in his arms. _It's Baby James_, he tried to remind himself. But that little mantra had lost its affect about an hour ago. Nathan then looked back up at her, and their eyes locked.

Haley felt her face get hot at Nathan's gaze. It was like those piercing blue eyes of his could see right through her. And if they could, did he know how much she was enjoying being in his arms? Did he know how badly she wanted to close the gap between them and kiss him? Almost as if he could read her mind, Haley noticed Nathan's gaze drift down to her lips. She soon found her own eyes focusing on his. There were so many times over the years that Haley had imagined what it would be like. Just being wrapped in his arms right now was better than she'd ever thought it could be. It made her want to experience his kiss that much more.

As a result, Haley absentmindedly licked her lips at the thought. She then felt Nathan's arms tighten slightly around her. She looked back up into his eyes just in time to see him lean in hesitantly. Her heart pounding in her chest, Haley stood up slightly on her tiptoes and moved in even closer. There were only a couple of inches between them now. Haley's eyes locked again with Nathan's. A second later, she felt one of his hands leave her waist to cup her face. Haley closed her eyes briefly when she felt his thumb gently caressing her cheek. Her whole body was now tingling. She then vaguely heard him take a sharp, ragged breath before pulling her face the rest of the way and finally touching his lips to hers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys, thank you all very much for the reviews last chapter! I know I left you with a hell of a cliffhanger. This chapter is a very big turning point, so it took me awhile to write it. The beginning contains Pathan interaction. I know that you guys hate reading them together. However, I really think that you should read the scene, because Nathan's thoughts are important. Thanks again, and please review! **

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Nathan took a large bite of his food as he desperately tried to get his thoughts in order. He was now at another restaurant. Peyton was sitting across from him talking about some art exhibit she'd gone to a few weeks ago. As she spoke, Nathan made sure to look at her and nod. He didn't want her to think that he wasn't paying attention—which he sort of wasn't. He'd already screwed up by being almost a half hour late to pick her up. Nathan was positive that it wouldn't bode well if she knew that his mind was somewhere else—or rather, with someone else.

Nathan still couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight. He'd started off just hanging out with his friends and enjoying himself at the graduation party. Then later on, he ended up spending time with Haley before completely losing track of himself. Nathan had no idea what had gotten into him. Well, sort of. He and Haley didn't always see one another, but he knew that they got along really well when they did. Tonight was no exception. Things had just seemed to click between them. Nathan couldn't remember the last time he'd had fun just simply talking to a girl. He was glad that Haley had shared her predictions with him. They were certainly amusing, to say the least. He also got to know a little more about her in the process. Although, the part about Lucas kissing her he could've done without.

All of a sudden, his own kiss with Haley flashed back into his head. Nathan had never planned on doing that. In fact, he'd tried to resist it for as long as he could. But she had just looked so damn good. Being around her had suddenly become intoxicating. There was this spark in the air that couldn't be ignored. What confused Nathan was that it had never been there before—or at least that strong. Things were usually friendly and platonic between them. She was Matt and Taylor's little sister who just happened to always give him a run for his money. However, as had been proven tonight, Haley wasn't really that little anymore.

So he'd kissed her. It only lasted a couple of seconds before Peyton had called his cell to ask where the hell he was. But that was enough for Nathan to never view Haley the same way again. His heart had been pounding in his chest the whole time. It had taken everything in him to pull away from her to answer his phone. It was only then did he realize the enormity of what he'd done. Not only had Nathan betrayed his friend, but he'd also changed things between him and Haley. How could they casually hang out around each other now? Especially since a part of Nathan wanted nothing more than to kiss her again. But even more important, how could he face Matt, and even Taylor, knowing what he'd done?

Hell, he wasn't even sure if Haley would want to see him again. She didn't pull away. In fact, she half initiated the kiss. But after getting that phone call from Peyton, Nathan quickly mumbled something about having to go. He'd congratulated her on her graduation once more and said something lame about having a great time. Nathan had barely given her a chance to respond before leaving. He felt like a jerk and wouldn't blame Haley if she was pissed at him. She was probably just as shocked and confused as he was.

"So what about you?" Peyton questioned. "What do you like other than basketball?" It took a second for Nathan to register that she was actually asking him something. He felt another bout of guilt hit him. Peyton seemed like a really great girl. And there he was thinking about someone else and barely paying attention. _I'm such an ass_, he thought.

"Um, I like to watch action and horror movies. Sometimes I go fishing with my brother and uncle. And I guess I like listening to music," he finished.

"Oh my God, I'm a total music junky," Peyton stated with a wide smile. "What kind do you listen to?"

"Mostly hip hop and rap," Nathan answered.

"Oh," she said. He noticed her face fall slightly. "That's…um…interesting."

"I take it you don't like that kind," he assumed while taking another bite of his prime rib.

Peyton took a sip of her water before continuing, "Not really. I mean, I like the old stuff. But I usually lean toward rock or alternative genres."

"My brother and most of my friends are like that, too. They've been trying to convert me for years."

"And it hasn't worked yet?"

"Definitely not," Nathan smirked.

"Well, maybe they just haven't taken the right approach," Peyton said while giving him a coy smile.

"Meaning?" he questioned.

"Meaning that I can be quite persuasive when I want to be," she replied. Nathan kinked his eyebrow in response. A second later, he almost jumped in his seat when he felt her foot brushing against his leg under the table.

"I don't doubt that," Nathan retorted in the most normal voice he could muster. She had been flirting with him for most of the meal. But this certainly caught him off guard. If it had been any other time, he probably would've flirted back and done something equally surprising to her. But Nathan just couldn't bring himself to do anything of the sort right now. There were too many strange thoughts bouncing around in his head. And almost all of them involved Haley.

"So, uh, did things go well with your father yesterday?" he questioned trying to change the subject. At the mention of her father, Peyton's foot stopped its ministrations on his leg. Nathan felt himself relax a little, afterward.

"Yeah, we had fun. We went out to dinner and then to the movies to see some action film. It was nice to catch up," Peyton answered. From the beaming smile on her face, Nathan could tell that she was really close to her dad. He was a little envious. His Uncle Keith had been a great guy that he and Lucas could turn to while growing up. But despite that, it never really erased the fact that their father had skipped out on their moms and them.

"Is he away a lot?"

"Pretty much. He comes home for a couple of days every two to three weeks. The rest of the time he's at sea."

"What about your mom? Are you close to her, too?" Nathan inquired.

"I was," she replied in a solemn voice. Instantly, Nathan regretted the question. The smile that had previously graced her face was completely gone.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry," he apologized.

"No, it's ok," she assured him after a few seconds of silence. "It's just that…she died in a car accident when I was eight years old. It's kind of a sensitive subject."

"I'm really sorry, Peyton," he stated sincerely.

"It's not your fault," she responded. "But thanks." Nathan nodded as an awkward silence seemed to fall between them. He didn't mean to make her feel bad. But then again, it's not like he could've known.

"So, um, you mentioned earlier that your mom owns a café?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah, she co-owns it," he answered—welcoming the subject change.

"What's it called? Maybe I've eaten there."

"It's called Karen's Café."

"Is that your mom's name?"

"No, it's her business partner's. Karen's Café sounded better than Karen and Deb's," he explained.

"Yeah, it does," Peyton laughed.

"So, have you ever eaten there?"

"No, but I've heard of it."

"My mom and Karen are great cooks. I'm sure you'd like it."

"Well, I'll definitely make sure to check it out," she declared with a small smile. As they finished eating, the two continued to talk and joke around. The awkwardness that had been present beforehand seemed to dissipate. When they finally left the restaurant, the two walked along the Market Street Dock nearby. All of the evening lights were on. It sort of reminded Nathan of the rooftop of the café. Immediately, he pushed that out of his mind. He was on a date with Peyton and was having a good time. He didn't want to ruin it by letting his thoughts stray again.

"Ok, favorite ice cream flavor?" Peyton continued with their random questioning.

"Chocolate chip cookie dough," Nathan answered. "You?"

"Mint chocolate chip."

"Interesting. I would've pegged you as a rocky road type girl," he smirked.

"Really? Why?" Peyton asked curiously.

"I don't know. I just thought you'd be into edgier ice cream."

"Well, I didn't realize that there was such a thing as edgy ice cream," she teased.

"There are many types of ice cream."

"And they would be?" she prodded with an amused smile.

"There's happy ice cream, I'm-depressed ice cream, I'm-fat-and-I-just-don't-care ice cream, break-up ice cream, hook-up ice cream…"

"Wait, what the hell is hook-up ice cream?" Peyton inquired laughing.

"Apparently, it's the ice cream you eat after having really hot sex."

"And how the hell did you come up with that?"

"I didn't. My friend Taylor was the one who made up all of these categories. She basically drilled them into my head all throughout high school. She can be weird like that."

"Well, I actually think they're kind of funny."

"That's one way of putting it," Nathan joked as they continued to walk along the crowded dock. Eventually, they came to an area that was a little more secluded. The two stopped once they reached the railing. Nathan leaned on the bar as he looked out at the river. Peyton did the same as she came to stand next to him. After a few minutes, Nathan tore his eyes away from the water to look at her. Peyton had on a green, strapless dress that came down just above her knees. She also wore a pair of open-toed heels. She was wearing a little more makeup than the last time he saw her, but it looked good, nonetheless. Her blonde, curly hair was down, too, and seemed to be blowing in the breeze. Overall, she looked really nice. _But not as good as Haley_, a little voice said in the back of his mind. A brief flash of Haley in her dress from earlier filled his head. _Damn it, Nathan, get it together,_ he berated himself. _Stop thinking about her and focus on Peyton!_

"Are you cold?" Nathan asked when he noticed Peyton shiver next to him.

"Um, a little," she replied.

"Here," he said while taking off his jacket.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Peyton began to protest.

"Take it," he asserted. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm never cold."

"Alright, thanks," she said before slipping it on. "It's very chivalrous of you."

"Well, I am charming like that," he smirked. A few seconds later, Peyton moved closer to him.

"You know, it's actually kind of sexy," she muttered in a low voice. Almost instantly, Nathan could feel the comfortable atmosphere shift between them. Their eyes then locked. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Peyton leaned in further. Nathan did the same but couldn't quite shake the indecision he felt. He really liked Peyton. They'd gotten along and had a fun date so far. But that wasn't the problem. As they inched closer, he couldn't stop thinking about Haley. He couldn't forget the electricity that had been in the air before they kissed. Even as his lips moved against Peyton's now, all he could think about was the vivid taste of Haley's fruity lip gloss and the feeling of her soft lips moving perfectly in sync with his.

A second later, Nathan deepened the kiss with Peyton. He pulled her tighter against him and ran a hand through her hair. He had to get Haley out of his head. Despite the way she looked tonight and felt in his arms, she was still Baby James deep down. She was still Matt and Taylor's little sister. Nothing could happen between them. The sooner he got that back into his head the better. Pursuing these…feelings or whatever they were would only lead to trouble—not just for him, but for her, too. Nathan knew that Matt would flip out. Even Taylor, who usually didn't stress out over things, would probably want to kill him. She was known to be very protective of her baby sister from time to time. Nathan didn't want Haley to be at odds with her siblings because of him.

So he wasn't going to think about Haley. And he sure as hell wasn't going to pull a stunt like that again with her. In fact, the next time Nathan saw her, he was going to apologize. He was the one who messed up. He should've stopped things from going any farther than they did. Nathan was older than her, after all. He should've known better. He could only imagine how weird she must feel about the whole thing. It was certainly unexpected…

"Wow," Peyton said breathlessly after pulling away. It took a minute for Nathan to regain his bearings. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts about Haley that he completely forgot that he was kissing Peyton. Nathan felt his guilt only multiply after that. Nevertheless, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, wow."

* * *

Haley lay on her bed with her head buried in her pillow. Ever since she'd arrived home a little while ago, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. The evening had turned into a night of both hope and disappointment. Haley wished that she could blame Nathan for all of it. But she couldn't. She'd decided to take the plunge, and now she had to deal with the consequences. 

"Tutor Girl, there you are!" Brooke exclaimed while bursting through the bedroom door. "You totally skipped out on me at the party. I was trying to find you. And let me just say, you're lucky that I covered for your cute behind. Some of your relatives were wondering where you went. Anyway, that's not important. You will never believe what happened! Your Aunt Myrtle, when she went in to pinch your brother's cheeks again, completely missed him and fell into the buffet table!

"Not that that's funny or anything. Well, actually, it was a little amusing. Anyway, the rest of your graduation cake is pretty much ruined. Lucas and the others had to help clean up. And by the way, did you ever notice how hott that boy has gotten? Too bad we're leaving for the summer. I don't think I've ever been so turned on by watching a guy clean before. I mean, he really knew how to work that broom," she laughed and continued on with her ramble.

"That's really interesting, Tigger," Haley commented before she finally looked up to face her friend.

"Yeah, and…" Brooke trailed off when she saw her. In an instant, she was by Haley's side on the bed. "Oh my God, Tutor Girl, are you ok?"

"Not really," she replied as a few more tears fell.

"What happened?" Brooke questioned tentatively.

"I was an idiot, Brooke," Haley replied. "I mean, why did I even think that this could work?"

"What could work?"

"I just completely set myself up to get hurt."

"Haley, honey, you need to tell me what happened?" Brooke urged confused.

"I kissed Nathan," she revealed.

"Oh my God, are you serious?!" Brooke questioned with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah."

"But, Haley, that's what you wanted, right?" she asked. "I mean, I saw the way he was looking at you all night. The boy couldn't take his eyes off of you in that dress. At one point, I thought that he was going to throw you over his shoulder and take you into the back to have his way with you."

"Well, guess again," Haley muttered.

"Ok, I need details, girlie," Brooke demanded.

"Everything was going great. We ended up going on the roof of the café to get away from the madness. We played miniature golf up there and…"

"Miniature golf?"

"Yeah, Keith and Lucas built it a while back," Haley explained.

"Oh, ok."

"So we were just hanging out and talking. It was a lot of fun. And Nathan couldn't stop looking at me, so I thought that things were going really well."

"Then what happened?" Brooke prodded.

"I showed him something that Lucas and I do every year, and we joked around about that. Then, afterward, he started to teach me the right way to shoot a basketball and…"

"Wait, why was he teaching you that? You hate sports," Brooke interrupted confused.

"It's a long story that is really not important right now," Haley explained before continuing. "Anyway, he was showing me the right way to shoot, which required him to get really close to me."

"Always a plus," she commented with a smile.

"And then the next thing I know, I'm in his arms and we're leaning in…"

"Yes," Brooke urged getting into it.

"He brought his hand to my face and started caressing my cheek," she said with a small smile at the memory. "I swear, I felt like I was going to faint."

"And then?" Brooke asked eagerly.

"He leaned in and kissed me."

"Aw, Tutor Girl, that's so romantic!"

"Apparently not since he practically bolted afterward."

"Wait, what?"

"We got interrupted when his phone rang. He then pulled away, mumbled something about having a great time, and left like a bat out of Hell," Haley explained.

"Well, maybe he just got a little freaked out. I mean, that's probably the first time he's seen you look sexy. It probably threw him off," Brooke reasoned.

"That's what I thought, too, at first," Haley mumbled solemnly.

"Ok, why do I suddenly get the feeling that there's more and it's not good?"

Haley took a deep breath before continuing, "After all that, I decided to go for a walk and clear my head. I ended up going to the Market Street Dock. You know how much I like the water." Brooke nodded. "So I walked for a little while. And then, on my way back, I saw him."

"Saw who?"

"Nathan…kissing another girl," Haley stated as her tears from before seemed to resurface. Haley had been completely shocked at first. For second, she had prayed that she was hallucinating. But unfortunately for her, she wasn't. The pain and heartache had ripped through her within seconds as she watched the guy she cared about shove his tongue down another girl's throat.

"What?" Brooke gritted out edgily. "You're joking, right?"

"I wish," Haley scoffed as she tried to desperately wipe the tears spilling out of her eyes. "But that's not even the worst part. What really sucks is the fact that Nathan's mystery girl is actually someone we know."

"Who?" Brooke questioned. "Tell me her name, and I'll go beat her ass down."

"Peyton Sawyer," Haley answered. Immediately, Brooke's mouth dropped open in shock. Haley didn't blame her. She'd been just as floored by the knowledge. Peyton was a fellow cheerleader and acquaintance of theirs. They'd spent many summers hanging out together at cheer camp. She was a nice girl, and they all got along well. During the school year, they usually lost touch with her until their teams had a game against each other. But school rivalry never stopped them from still being friendly with one another.

"Shit," Brooke muttered. "And I actually liked her."

"Well, now, so does Nathan," Haley said softly while looking down at her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Tutor Girl," she apologized. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you to pursue something with him."

"It's not your fault," Haley objected. "I wanted to do it. And for a second, I actually thought that I had a chance."

"Haley…"

"And do you know what the absolute worst part is? Peyton is the same freaking age as us! What does that say about me? What is it about me that makes everybody automatically assume I'm 'Baby James?' Really, what's wrong with me, Brooke?!" Haley exclaimed. All this time, she had thought that Nathan's mystery girl was someone his own age. She could maybe understand why he freaked out on her earlier if that was the case. He didn't usually date younger girls. But seeing him with Peyton shattered all of that. Haley had never really been uncomfortable with who she was as a person. It was the labels she'd been given by her siblings and others that bothered her. That wasn't who she was. Those were stupid illusions that everyone held of her. And after everything that had just happened, she was beginning to wonder if she would ever shake them.

"Haley, listen to me," Brooke ordered. "There is _nothing_ wrong with you. You are seriously one of the kindest, smartest, and most _mature _people I know. I wouldn't change a damn thing about you. Nathan is just a stupid jerk if he can't see those same qualities in you."

"I just…I'm just so sick of it, Brooke," Haley sobbed as her emotions, once again, seemed to get the best of her. "I'm so sick of it."

"I know, honey," Brooke responded before quickly pulling her into a tight embrace. Haley clutched her best friend as she let everything out. She was so hurt and frustrated that she didn't know what to do anymore. As she continued to cry, Haley's thoughts went back to Nathan. She'd seen him give Peyton his coat when she shivered. She'd seen them leaning in to each other. And she'd seen the passionate kiss between them. A kiss that she had always wished he'd give to her. But the sad reality was that that kiss wasn't hers and never would be.

She had felt something so real for him on the rooftop of the café. Their kiss was slow and gentle, but it had still shaken Haley to her core. She had felt the spark behind it. However, based on what she'd seen tonight, it must not have had the same affect on Nathan. He seemed to be even more into Peyton than before. Haley cried harder when she thought of what was to come. Nathan would probably want to talk about what happened between them. And now that he was with Peyton, she assumed that he'd try to be a good guy and let her down gently. God forbid he did it any other way and break Baby James' heart.

However, it was too late for that. Haley's heart already was broken. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about that conversation. She couldn't bear it. In fact, she wanted to avoid it at all costs. Haley wanted to leave before Nathan came to her and uttered a single word of rejection. At least she could maintain some dignity and strength if she was to walk away first. And then, it hit her. She pulled out of her best friend's embrace to look at her.

"Brooke," she said tentatively while wiping away the remaining tear tracks. "Do you think that we could leave early?"

"What?"

"Do you think that we could leave early to California?" Haley elaborated.

"Um, I'm sure that it could be arranged," Brooke replied confused. "But why…"

"I can't stay here, Tigger. I need to get away to clear my head. I need a change," Haley explained.

"But what about Nathan?" Brooke asked. "Aren't you going to at least talk to him before we leave?"

"He's with Peyton now. Trust me, I already know what he's going to say," Haley responded.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," she answered. Haley knew that she'd have to deal with Nathan eventually. But she needed time away. Things had gotten too intense and complicated too fast. Haley had to take a step back from the situation. She had to work through her feelings and come to terms with the fact that her earlier assumptions had been right. Nothing could ever happen between the two of them. This summer, Haley had to move on. She wanted to meet new people. She wanted to see what it would be like to start fresh in a place where her older siblings didn't define her. And most importantly, she wanted to finally let go of Nathan Scott.

* * *

Nathan took deep breaths as he sat in his car in front of the James' residence Monday evening. He'd been there for twenty minutes now and still hadn't worked up the nerve to get out and ring the doorbell. Nathan couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd been more nervous. He'd played in hundreds of games where the fans of opposing teams booed at him and threw jabs. He'd won tournaments and championships under extreme pressure in which the clock was running out, and everyone was depending on him to make the final shot. But for some reason, Nathan had never let his nerves get the best of him any of those times. So why in the living hell was he so freaked out about talking to Haley now? _Because you want to kiss her again_, a little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. 

"I like Peyton. We had a great date," he reminded himself. And it was the truth. They did have fun. The other kiss at the end of the night hadn't been bad, either. It was pretty good when he actually paid attention. And sure, things had been a little awkward from time to time, but that was normal for a first date. That's why he'd made plans to go out with her again this week. Just because everything wasn't perfect the first time around, it didn't mean that he should give up. He was sure that after spending more time together, he'd feel something stronger for Peyton.

_But you already felt that with Haley_, the voice said. Nathan shook his head forcefully. His subconscious was really starting to get annoying. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to silence his thoughts about Haley these past couple of days. It was like she had completely taken over his senses. The way she had looked, smelled, felt, and tasted kept replaying over in his mind. He couldn't even sleep last night. She was driving him crazy. Deep down, he knew that whatever had occurred between them couldn't go further. It was too risky and too much was at stake. Nathan had to get over it and make things right.

But another part of him, however, was urging him to do the opposite. He wanted to explore the obvious attraction he felt towards her. Nathan had been hoping that the chemistry between them that night was due to circumstance. He just wasn't used to seeing Haley dressed like that, and he'd gotten carried away. But that didn't explain why he'd felt both at ease and intrigued when talking to her. Haley hadn't been acting any different. She was still her same self. Nothing had changed except for her incredibly sexy ensemble. He just genuinely liked to be around her—which was another reason why this was so difficult.

Hurting Haley or making her feel uncomfortable wasn't the only thing that he was worried about. What was even scarier was how he would possibly feel in her presence again. Would the spark still be there? Would he be able to say the speech he had planned out in his head with her being so close? Would he lose control again and kiss her? Nathan had no idea, and that was making him even more nervous. _Just suck it up, Scott_, he berated himself. _You have to do this. _Nathan took a few more minutes to calm himself down before finally getting out of the car. He quickly made his way onto the porch to the front door. He then took another deep breath and rang the doorbell. A second later, the door opened to reveal Taylor.

"Hey, Nathan," she greeted. "What's up? Are you here to see Matt or my fabulous self?"

"Um, I actually need to see Haley," he stated. "She forgot this at the café." Afterward, he held up a small graduation gift—all the while silently praising his mom for finding it and suggesting that he drop it off at her house. It was the perfect excuse for him to see her without it looking weird. Nathan was hoping that he could somehow get Haley alone, afterward, so that they could talk.

"I'll give it to her," Taylor declared while reaching for it. Nathan, however, swiftly pulled it away from her grasp.

"No, I'll do it," he rushed out. _Crap_, he thought when she gave him a curious look a few seconds later. "I mean, it's from my mom. She wanted me to tell her Haley's reaction when she opened it. She wasn't sure if she would like it or not," he backtracked. He felt bad for lying, but he had to see Haley.

"Well, it's going to be awhile before she sees it. Although, I could mail it to her," Taylor said.

"Why would you need to mail it to her?" Nathan asked perplexed.

"Oh, you didn't know?"

"Know what?" he questioned while getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"She and Brooke left for California this afternoon," she informed him.

"What? I thought that they weren't supposed to leave until Wednesday."

"Their plans changed, and they had to leave a bit earlier."

"Didn't they have to go to their cheerleader tryouts with Solaris today?"

"They did. It was a few hours before they had to leave, so it worked out well," Taylor explained. Nathan stood there in complete shock as he tried to process what his friend had just told him. "Are you ok?"

"Um, yeah. I'm just surprised. She didn't say goodbye to anyone."

"She managed to talk to Lucas before leaving. But that's all I know. Our house has been in complete chaos all day with my parents and Haley getting everything together."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Nathan commented softly.

"Well, since you're already here, did you want to come in and hang out? Matt and I are playing Play Station in the living room."

"Thanks, but I can't. I have to get back to the café. I only really came to give Haley her gift. But since she's not here, I'll leave it with you," Nathan said while handing her the present.

"Alright," she stated with a nod. "I'll make sure that she gets it."

"I'll see you later," he replied as he started to leave the porch and walk away.

"Oh, Nathan, how did that date go the other night, by the way?" Taylor called just before he reached his car. "You get lucky?" she added in a teasing tone.

"Bye, Taylor," Nathan retorted while rolling his eyes.

"I'll take that as a 'no!'" she laughed. Nathan got into his car and gave her one final wave before driving off. It was then that the information Taylor had just told him started to sink in. Haley was gone, and she hadn't even said goodbye to him. Nathan wasn't sure if he was more relieved or disappointed. He had just gotten out of talking to Haley about the kiss Saturday night. He'd been dreading that. Now it seemed that he was off the hook. And who knows, maybe it would be better if they talked when she got back—if they'd even need to talk. Things would have a chance to cool down. It might not even be a big issue by the time she got back. He'd also have the opportunity to finally get her out of his head and move forward with Peyton.

However, that's when the disappointment kicked in. A part of Nathan had wanted and needed to know what exactly had transpired between them. The fact that Haley didn't even talk to him before she left could mean one of two things. She was either freaked out and pissed about the kiss and him leaving, or it didn't mean anything to her at all. Nathan knew that he should be pushing for the second option. If Haley didn't feel anything, then there was nothing to worry about. But for some reason he couldn't quite explain, he really disliked that alternative even more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter! I loved reading them and hope you'll continue to respond. This next chapter is not really "action packed," so to speak. It's more of a transition before we get to the really good stuff. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Nathan sat on his bed repeatedly throwing a small, squishy basketball up in the air. His mind was a jumbled mess. He still didn't understand how Haley could leave like that. She just packed up and left without so much as a goodbye. Did he mean nothing to her? Did the kiss mean nothing? Was she mad at him? Everything was so uncertain. He let out a frustrated sigh before finally getting up. He really needed a drink. After throwing the ball in the miniature hoop mounted on his wall, Nathan made his way to his bedroom door. He then yanked it open and stopped dead in his tracks. _

"_Hi," she said softly. _

"_Uh, hey," he replied shocked. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I had to see you," she responded. She then gestured to his room. "Do you mind if I come in?"_

"_Oh, um, yes. I mean no."_

"_No?" she questioned with a disappointed expression._

"_No. I mean…" he trailed off while trying to collect his thoughts. _Could I be anymore of a bumbling idiot?_ "I mean 'no' I don't mind." She gave him a small smile before entering his room. He shut the door behind her and watched as she took a seat on his bed. _

"_So, um, I thought that you'd be halfway to Los Angeles by now," Nathan commented—breaking the awkward silence. She bit her lip while nervously fiddling with her hands. _

"_So did I."_

"_What happened?" he prodded when she was quiet once more. _

"_I couldn't go without saying goodbye. I'm going to miss you, Nathan." _

"_Hales…"_

"_Ssh," Haley silenced him. She then got up to stand in front of him. He looked into her deep brown eyes and could see her working things out in her mind. A second later, he felt her small hand on his cheek. Nathan's eyes involuntarily shut at her soft touch. When he looked at her again, he noticed that her body was a mere few centimeters away from his. But it wasn't close enough. His hands took on a mind of their own as they grabbed her waist and pulled her up against him. A jolt of ectricity ran through his body when all he felt was bare skin. He glanced down to see that she was in a THC cheerleading uniform. For some reason, he didn't notice it before. _

"_You made the squad?" he asked—unable to take his eyes off of the sexy outfit. The room suddenly felt like a thousand degrees. _

"_Yeah," she answered while moving her face closer to his. "Now I'll be able to cheer for you again."_

"_But I don't play anymore," he said after a minute. It was getting harder to even formulate a coherent sentence. The haze was starting to take over his mind. _

"_So? Even coaches can use some incentive at times," Haley replied in a low voice. She stood on her tiptoes and started to guide his face to hers. He immediately knew where this was going. _

"_Haley, we can't," he mumbled in a strained voice. It was taking every ounce of strength in him not to pounce on her. _

"_Why not?" she said seductively as her lips lightly grazed over his. "Don't you want me?"_

"_Yes," Nathan practically growled. She was slowly chipping away his resolve. _

"_Then take me," she whispered while running her other hand up his chest. Nathan felt something inside of him snap. His grip on her waist tightened before he swooped in to capture her lips in a fiery kiss. She moaned loudly as his tongue battled hers. It was nothing like their kiss on the rooftop of the café. That one had been slow and gentle—almost hesitant. This one, on the other hand, was hot and rough. Neither one could seem to get enough of each other. _

_A couple of seconds later, Haley had started walking him backwards to the bed. He sat down as she climbed on top to straddle him. She pulled her shirt over her head revealing a black lace bra. His eyes raked over her heaving chest before she yanked his face back to hers. Haley then started to undo the buttons on his shirt. Meanwhile, his mouth had moved down to her neck. He could hear her moan his name whenever he found just the right spot. As soon as his shirt was totally unbuttoned, Haley pushed Nathan back on the bed. He thought he was going to explode when he felt her hot, wet mouth grazing the exposed flesh of his chest. _

"_God, Hales," he groaned. His hands were now tangled in her blonde locks. When her lips returned to his, he couldn't take it anymore. He expertly flipped them over. And then…there was only pain. _

Nathan's eyes shot open. His breathing was ragged and his head ached. His whole body suddenly felt cold. He lifted up slightly from the hardwood floor and groaned.

"Damn it," he cursed. _I can't believe I fell out of the freaking bed this time. _That had to have been one of the most intense dreams he'd had all summer. When he had his first dream about Haley back in June, Nathan had thought it was a one-time thing. He'd just been thinking about her a lot—wondering what she was doing or who she was with. Nathan had been hurt at first that she didn't initially say goodbye before she left. But when he looked back on it a few weeks later, he knew Haley had made the right decision. Nathan's head was a mess. He needed time away from her to get his thoughts and feelings straight. He had to get back to normal. And that's exactly what he did.

His days were mostly spent with Whitey and Lucas going over game plays and strategies for next season. Occasionally, he'd stop by the café to help is mom. The rest of his time he'd spend with his friends or Peyton. They had continued to date. She was a great person to hang out with. He really liked her. Matt, Taylor, Tim, and Lucas also took a shining to her. She fit in with their group nicely. By the Fourth of July, he and Peyton had decided to see each other exclusively. They'd been together ever since.

Overall, the last three months had been great. Nathan had managed to keep busy with work and friends. There was always something going on. But it was the nights, however, that he couldn't escape. The dreams started off simple. Sometimes he'd see a flash of Haley or memories from earlier years. Eventually, they evolved into full-on scenes. One night, though, in mid-July, the memories had transformed into fantasies—sending his mind back into chaos. He'd bolted up in bed covered in sweat and more than a little turned on. The guilt had set in a minute later when he looked over at Peyton who was lying next to him. She was his girlfriend. His fantasies were supposed to be about her. That wasn't the case, though. Peyton may have had him during the day. But Haley sure as hell had him during the night.

"Nathan, honey, are you ok?" Deb asked from the doorway—jolting him from his troubled thoughts. He silently thanked God that his blanket had fallen down with him. A certain part of his anatomy was on full alert. And that was definitely something a guy didn't want his mom to see.

"Uh, yeah," he answered. "I'm fine."

"You're sure? I heard a loud thump. You're not hurt, right?"

"No, it was just a weird dream. I'm ok."

"Ok," Deb stated relieved. "It's a good thing you're up now anyway. Lucas called ten minutes ago. He's going to pick you up in the truck in a half hour, so you can pack your things. Your move-in time for the dorm is twelve o'clock, right?" He nodded in response.

"And you're sure you have everything you need?" she questioned.

"I checked it all yesterday," Nathan assured her.

"Ok, good. Why don't you get dressed while I make you some breakfast. Pancakes alright?"

"Sounds great, Mom," he replied. Nathan let out a sigh of relief when she finally left. _That was close_, he thought. He then stood up and rearranged his bed. Afterward, he headed into the bathroom for one morning ritual that had become a necessity over these last couple of months—a cold shower.

* * *

"Dude, I thought we agreed to not have this much shit in our room this year," Lucas commented as he threw the last box down on the floor. The two brothers were now in their dorm room trying to get settled in. 

"Those are all the tapes and plays that Whitey wanted me to bring," Nathan stated. "We need them."

"I get that. But why in the living hell do you need a whole box full of CDs by 50 Cent, Jay-z, and some other gang bangers?"

"Because I will go absolutely insane if I have to hear your stupid loser rock one more time."

"It's alternative," Lucas corrected.

"It sucks."

"You suck."

"Yeah, well…" The brotherly spat continued for a few more minutes until a loud knock sounded from the doorway.

"So, what's got the Scott brothers' panties in a bunch?" a curly blonde questioned with an amused smile on her face.

"Nathan's lack of musical taste," Lucas answered as he started to fold some clothes and put them in the drawer.

"Well, we already knew that," Peyton laughed.

"Whatever," Nathan mumbled giving up. He wouldn't be able to win this one. He knew he was cornered, since Lucas and Peyton liked the same stupid groups.

"Aw, I'm sorry, baby," Peyton stated. She walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "You know I meant it in the nicest possible way."

"Sure you did," Nathan smirked as he started to unpack another box. He then decided to change the subject. "So, are you all settled in, or are you experiencing the same technical difficulties as Lucas and me?"

"Oh, I'm done. My roommate Gigi and I just finished everything today," Peyton said with a triumphant smile.

"You're lucky. We'll probably still be going through all of these boxes this weekend," Lucas stated.

"Actually, I'd rather spend my time unpacking than do the bullshit activities this weekend," she declared.

"What bullshit activities?" Nathan asked confused.

"All freshmen already on campus are supposed to attend these stupid events and lectures to make us feel more 'welcomed,'" Peyton explained while making air quotes. "But if you ask me, most freshmen are just concerned with partying and getting drunk. Half of the idiots on my floor spent last night in the bathroom."

"Sounds like my freshman year," Lucas joked.

"Mine, too," Nathan laughed. "Duke had some kick-ass keggers." Peyton rolled her eyes playfully before taking a seat on Nathan's bed.

"Oh, and speaking of parties, are you guys going to the one in Quentin's dorm tonight?" Lucas asked. "Most of the team and cheerleaders will be there. Matt and Taylor said they would be going, too."

"I don't know," Nathan replied. "I can't stand him. I'll probably end up strangling him by the end of the night."

"Who's Quentin again?" Peyton asked confused.

"He's our leading scorer on the basketball team," Lucas answered.

"He's also a punk," Nathan added. That guy had to be the cockiest ass he'd ever met. Nathan didn't want to deal with Quentin until it was absolutely necessary. They always seemed to butt heads on and off of the basketball court.

"I'm sure it's a big place," Peyton reasoned. "You probably won't even see him."

"And if you do, just go the other way," Lucas added. "You really should come, Nate. It's one of our last nights of freedom before classes start next week." Nathan looked from his brother to Peyton.

"Well, do you want to go?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Besides, I want to meet up with some of my fellow squad members. It's always better to get the lowdown on the bitches you'll be cheering with before the season starts."

"That's the spirit," Lucas laughed while shaking his head.

"Alright, I'll go," Nathan sighed. "But it doesn't mean I'm going to like it."

"As long as you're there and don't leave me hanging with those bimbos," Peyton joked before looking at her watch and standing up. "And I actually have to go. Gigi and I are going to hunt down all of our classes so we're ready on Wednesday."

"I could help you with that," Nathan offered.

"I know, but you're busy right now," she said. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll manage." She then gave him a quick peck on the lips before heading to the door. "Bye, Luke."

"Bye, Peyton."

"I better put my cell phone on. She's going to get lost," Nathan commented once she was finally out the door.

"Yeah, she is," Lucas laughed. Nathan knew that they were both remembering the time she'd gotten lost on her way to the River Court—which turned out to only be a few blocks away from her house. They'd had to call her cell and give her directions. It wasn't until a half hour later that she finally showed up.

"So, things seem to be going well with you guys," Lucas commented after a few minutes. Nathan nodded as he placed some of his books on his desk.

"Yeah, I really like her. What about you?" Nathan asked. "You meet anyone you like yet, or are you still pining away for Brooke?"

"First of all, no. And second, I'm not pining away for anyone," Lucas stated. "Least of all Brooke."

"Whatever you say, Luke," he smirked.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah, seriously in denial," Nathan chuckled. "Don't think I haven't noticed those broody looks you've been giving her over the years. It's obvious you like her, man. When are you going to make a move already?" He knew that Lucas was shyer when it came to dealing with women. But he'd have to take the plunge sooner or later. Lucas just needed someone to push him in the right direction before he missed his chance.

"I'm not…I mean I…I'm…aw, crap," Lucas sighed. "Is it really that obvious?" Nathan smirked.

"To me it is," he replied with a shrug. "She's never gonna know unless you take a chance."

"It's not that simple. She's so cheery and I'm…well…I'm broody. I like her, but we're total opposites."

"So? I think it's more interesting when you're different. You wouldn't want to date someone who's the exact replica of yourself, right?" Nathan pointed out.

"I guess not," Lucas agreed. "But she's not even back from Los Angeles yet." Nathan's ears automatically tuned in to that. He'd been wondering when Brooke and Haley were going to return home. Matt and Taylor never mentioned it, and Nathan thought it'd be weird asking out of the blue.

"She's not?"

"No, she and Haley are supposed to get back Monday," he answered.

"Oh," Nathan commented as he felt his heart start to pound in his chest. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Three months may have passed, but his and Haley's kiss on the rooftop was still embedded in his brain. Whether it would turn out to be a big or little issue when she returned, he had no idea.

"Anyway, I'll wait and see how it goes," Lucas declared. Nathan sighed softly to himself. His brother had no idea how true and significant that statement was for him, as well.

* * *

"Shoot me," Peyton groaned as she buried her head in Nathan's shoulder. The two were at the dorm party that night sitting on one of the many couches in the common room. The place was packed, and the music was blaring. Based on the immaturity level in the room, Nathan figured that a large percentage of people there were actually hog-wild freshmen. 

"Not having fun?"

"I was up until one of my fellow squad members asked who I preferred better: Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?"

"Christina Aguilera. At least she still has her hair," Nathan joked. Peyton rolled her eyes but laughed anyway.

"So, what about you? Have you had even an ounce of fun yet tonight?" she questioned.

"A little I guess. While you were off talking to your fellow cheerleaders, I hung out with Lucas and some of the guys. Other than that, this party sucks."

"You see Quentin yet?"

"No. Thank God," Nathan mumbled. He definitely didn't feel like getting into it with anyone tonight. In fact, he'd most likely wait one more hour before taking off. He really wasn't into this party at all.

"Ooh, finally! A song I like," Peyton proclaimed a few minutes later. "Let's dance."

"No way," Nathan objected.

"Come on. I know you hate it, but it's just one song," she pled. "Please?"

"Peyton..."

"Please?" She then gave him her best puppy dog eyes. _Crap. _

"Fine," he relented. Her smile widened before pulling him up off of the couch and leading him to the dance area. But before they even made it there, Tim came rushing towards them—much to Nathan's relief.

"Nate Dogg, come quick! Matt and Solaris are making out!" Tim proclaimed.

"What? Are you serious?" he questioned. Everyone's previous bets about when the two would finally hook up had been replaced earlier that summer. And if what Tim was telling him was correct, then that meant that Nathan was now the winner and a hundred dollars richer.

"Hell yes. Let's go."

"Nathan…" Peyton started to say.

"I'll be right back. I promise," he replied before taking off with Tim. He definitely had to see this. The fact that it postponed him having to dance was an added bonus.

"Over here," Tim said as he led them to the back of the room. A couple of seconds later, he saw them. Matt and Solaris were sitting on a couch in the corner groping and practically digesting each other's faces. He and Tim walked a little closer. That's when Nathan noticed Lucas and Taylor standing over to the left, also staring at the couple.

"Don't say it," Lucas stated after they'd walked over to them.

"Don't say what? That I won, and you all owe me a hundred bucks?" Nathan asked with a cocky smirk. He heard Lucas grumble something under his breath before rolling his eyes. It just made Nathan's smile widen.

"Gross," Taylor commented as she continued to stare at them. "I'm going to need at least another two beers before I forget this image."

"How many have you had so far?" Tim asked.

"I don't know. I lost count," Taylor answered with a slight slur.

"Taylor, maybe you should take it easy," Lucas suggested. "I don't want to have to carry you out of here again."

"Relax, I'm fine." She went to give Lucas a pat on the back and swayed slightly. His hands flew out to catch her just before she fell.

"I can tell," he muttered dryly. He then turned to Nathan. "Look, I'm going to take her back to her dorm. I think she's done for the night."

"You need any help?" Tim offered with a nod from Nathan.

"No, I'll be fine," Lucas answered. He steadied Taylor on her feet and was just about to walk her out when she stopped him and started talking.

"What did you say?" Nathan asked when they couldn't make out her slur of words.

"I said that I can't leave. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on Haley," she said a little more clearly.

"Haley?" Nathan questioned confused. "How can you keep an eye on her? She's not even home yet."

"Yes, she is. She got back yesterday. She's around here somewhere." In that moment, Nathan felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Haley wasn't supposed to be home until Monday. That's what Lucas had said. Nathan then turned his gaze to his brother who appeared equally shocked.

"That's not what she told me," Lucas spoke up.

"She wanted it to be a surprise," Taylor replied. "Wait…oops."

"Well, you should go back to your room anyways. Nathan and I will look after Tutor Girl," Tim offered.

"You guys don't mind?" she questioned—swaying again slightly.

"No, it's fine," Nathan answered while giving her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "Go."

"I'll be back as soon as she's settled," Lucas declared. "Make sure Haley stays around. I want to see her, too." Nathan and Tim nodded in response. The two pairs then went their separate ways.

"I don't see her," Tim said after about ten minutes of searching. Nathan didn't answer. He didn't trust his voice at the moment. He had been set on Haley returning Monday. He had needed those extra three days so that by the time he saw her, he was ready for whatever happened. Nathan was supposed to plan out what he was going to say and how he would react to her. He didn't want to take any chances and be a complete stuttering idiot—as he so often started out in his dreams. But that was now shot to Hell. And what was worse, despite the fact that he wasn't anywhere near ready to face Haley yet, was that nothing right now could even stop him from wanting to find her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, thank you for the reviews last chapter! Life's gotten even more hectic, but I've been busting my butt trying to update sooner for all of you. I'm not going to be home for most of the weekend, so I wanted to post this now. Also, since I'll be gone, MTA won't be updated again until Monday. But I hope you guys like this chapter. Some of the things aren't explained in detail just yet. They will be in the next chapter, though. So please read and review! Thanks!**

* * *

** Chapter 9**

Haley smiled politely as the guys in front of her tried yet again to impress her with some lame joke. She wanted to kill Brooke for leaving her alone with them. They were driving her insane. If they weren't talking too much, they were staring at her. If they weren't staring, they were leering. And if they weren't leering, then they started touching. It wasn't anything too offensive—a hand on her arm, on the small of her back, in her hair, etc. But enough was enough. She wasn't part of a petting zoo. The only reason that Haley came to the party was because she knew that her fellow squad members were going to be there. Solaris thought that it would be a good idea if she and Brooke came to meet the other girls. They hadn't met everyone yet, but most of them seemed really nice so far. Haley was looking forward to their first practice in a couple of weeks.

"So what do you say, Haley?" one of the guys named Toby asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" she questioned confused. She couldn't hear anything over this loud music. Did they have to stand so close to the damn speakers?

"Are you up for a few body shots?" he repeated. _Is he for real? _She barely knew this guy.

"No thanks," she declined.

"How about a game of beer pong?" Brandon suggested.

Haley shook her head before answering, "I'm not really drinking tonight."

"You sure?" the other guy Quentin asked while putting his arm around her shoulders. He then pulled her into him. "It might loosen you up." Haley tensed up slightly but tried to appear relaxed. However, she was definitely getting uncomfortable. She didn't mind talking to the guys but keeping their hands to themselves was becoming a major issue. _Where the hell is Taylor or Matt when I actually need them? _

"I'm sure. I'm still a little jetlagged from my flight yesterday," Haley excused. It was the truth. She was all thrown off from the time difference. Their flight got in yesterday afternoon. Her parents had dropped Brooke off at her house before they returned home. Haley had spent the rest of the night with her mom packing some last minute things for the dorm room. She wasn't that tired when she went to bed at one o'clock in the morning. She was still living by Pacific Time—which meant that it was only ten o'clock on the west coast.

Waking up in the morning at seven o'clock, however, had been a killer. It was, technically, four o'clock for her. But she had to get up. She and Brooke were scheduled to move into their dorm at nine o'clock that morning. They'd then spent the rest of the day, with some help from her parents and then Taylor, setting up the room. They didn't stop until Solaris had called to tell them about the party. Brooke had insisted after that that they spend the rest of the afternoon choosing outfits and getting ready. And now here she was at the party looking all "hott as hell," as had Brooke termed it, and being groped by a bunch of…well…horny college guys. _Brooke, where the hell are you?!_

"That's too bad," Quentin commented with a sly smile. "Maybe you just need to lie down. My room is only down the hall. You can rest there. In fact, I'll stay with you to make sure no one bothers you." _Oh crap_, she inwardly groaned.

"Actually, I'm…" she began to say when someone interrupted.

"Tutor Girl!" Haley turned her head towards the loud, familiar voice. A genuine smile instantly formed on her face.

"Tim!" she replied with a mixture of excitement and relief. _I'm saved! _She managed to wriggle out of Quentin's tight embrace and run towards her friend. Tim hugged her before picking her up and twirling her around.

"Damn, girl, I almost didn't recognize you!" he exclaimed laughing. He then proceeded to take in her appearance. "What did you do to your hair?"

"I decided I needed a change," Haley replied. "Do you like it?"

"Hell yes. You look hott," he complimented. Haley felt the blush forming on her face. She was still getting used to the reactions her new look seemed to be sparking among the male population. Guys had looked at her in California, but it somehow felt different now that she was back home.

"Nate, doesn't she look hott?" Tim questioned before looking over his shoulder. Haley's stomach did flip flops at his name. She then followed Tim's gaze and quickly found herself staring into those familiar, yet mesmerizing, blue eyes.

Nathan was in complete and utter shock as he stared at Haley. He would have never been able to identify her if he hadn't heard one of the guys say her name. Her previously long, blonde locks had been cut short and dyed a dark chocolate brown. The only thing that remained the same was the natural waves in her hair. Nathan then took in her face. She still had a youthful look. But at the same time, her features seemed to be slightly more mature.

He was happy to see that she wasn't wearing a ton of makeup. Only her smoky eye shadow and brown lips gloss stood out. She still possessed that pretty, natural appearance. Afterward, his eyes traveled down to Haley's top. She wore a black, silk-beaded empire camisole. It wasn't outrageously revealing, but a fair amount of cleavage could be seen. She also had on dressy black capris and open-toed heels. Overall, she looked completely different and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, amazingly sexy. _This is really not good_, he thought panicking.

"Dude, close your mouth," Tim whispered. Nathan looked over at his friend and suddenly realized that he'd been staring. _Great_, he thought sarcastically.

"Yo, Scott, you wanna stop blushing like a little bitch? Pink isn't a good look for you," Quentin remarked with a smug grin. Nathan glared at him while trying to keep his temper in control. They'd only been around each other for a minute or so, and he was already starting.

"And neither will be the black eye I give to you if you don't watch that mouth," Nathan retorted with his own cocky smirk.

"I'd like to see you try, old timer," Quentin bit back. "It'd be a shame if that one good knee of yours got fucked up, too." Nathan's temper flared as his fists clenched at his sides. It was taking everything inside of him not to beat his ass to the ground. Haley looked between the two nervously. The tension could be cut with a knife. She glanced at Tim who had position himself partially in front of Nathan. He seemed to be aware of what was going on, too.

"Come on, Nate, let's just go find Matt and the others," Tim proposed—trying to diffuse the situation. Nathan tore his eyes away from Quentin's and nodded after a few seconds. _Just walk away before you do something stupid_, he told himself. "Let's go, Tutor Girl."

"Hey, where are you going?" Quentin questioned as he reached out to grab her arm when she went to leave with them. "We still have to pay that visit to my room."

"Let go," Haley demanded. She wasn't going to put up with this anymore. This guy was a real jerk, and she just wanted to get away from him.

"Come on, baby. I promise it'll only take fifteen minutes," he laughed while Toby and Brandon snickered. Nathan felt his blood boil at the double meaning behind his words. _That's it,_ he thought while taking a step forward. There was no way he was going to let this punk harass her. But before he could do anything, Haley spoke up.

"Fifteen minutes? That's all? It must not be very good then," she said with a cheeky smile as she indirectly shot a blow to his ego. "I think I'll pass." She then tore away from Quentin's grip for the second time that night before making her way past Tim and Nathan. A second later, Toby and Brandon busted out laughing. They stopped a minute later, however, when Quentin gave them a look to shut the hell up. But that didn't stop Tim and Nathan from getting amusement out of it.

"Real smooth, Fields. Real smooth" Nathan smirked before he and Tim followed after Haley. It only took a few seconds for them to catch up to her on the other side of the room.

"Ok, what exactly happened to you in Los Angeles?" Tim teased. "Did your brand new look come with a new attitude? Was it like a buy one, get one free type of thing?"

"No, I've always had an attitude," Haley joked back. "That guy was just pissing me off."

"Well, great comeback," Nathan complimented. "I'm proud."

"Thanks," she replied. Her heart sped up slightly when she realized that this was the first time they'd spoken to each other tonight—and for the past three months. It was also the first time that Haley got to really look at Nathan. He was wearing a black polo shirt with khaki shorts that showed off his athletic build. His hair was slightly longer than before—but nothing major. Nathan's face hadn't changed much either. His features were still sharp and devastatingly handsome. _Figures,_ Haley thought wryly. She knew that it would be hard to see him for the first time again. But Haley had promised herself that she wouldn't get worked up over it. She'd let the butterflies in her stomach do their thing for a minute, and then she would forget it.

"So, um, how have you been?" Nathan asked her—trying to make conversation. "Did you like Los Angeles?"

"Yeah, Brooke and I had a lot of fun," she answered.

"Did you see any celebrity hotties?" Tim questioned.

"Uh, Paris Hilton was at one of the clubs Brooke got us into."

"Sweet. What was she like?"

"Bitchy from what I could see," Haley said. She smiled when Tim laughed. He then stopped abruptly while looking at something in the distance.

"Oh my God," he mumbled.

"What?" both Haley and Nathan asked concerned.

"Theresa is here," he stated. "How do I look?"

"Great. Why?" Haley questioned confused. Tim didn't answer. He just brought his hand up to his mouth and did a breath check.

"I'll be back, guys," he said before taking off in her direction.

"Did I miss something?"

"He has a major crush on this girl Theresa," Nathan explained. "He keeps trying to get her to notice him, but it never goes well." _Been there before_, Haley thought sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sure he'll get her eventually," she responded after a second with the most normal tone she could muster. Nathan nodded as an awkward silence developed between them. He knew that they needed to talk about what happened back in May. But he wasn't sure that this was either the time or place to do it. There was too high a chance of someone overhearing them. They were saved from the awkwardness a second later, though, when Lucas started making his way towards them in the crowd.

"Haley!" he called.

"Lucas!" she greeted him with a beaming smile. He pulled her into a tight hug a moment later.

"First of all, why on earth did you not tell me you were coming home early? And second, what happened to your hair?" Lucas laughed.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, and I needed a change," Haley answered his questions. "You're not mad at me, right? I was going to visit you tomorrow."

"No, I'm just glad you're back. I missed you, geek."

"I missed you, too, loser," she teased.

"I almost didn't recognize you," Lucas stated as he stared at her again.

"That seems to be the popular response."

"But you look great," he complimented. "I'm surprised Matt isn't on guard duty tonight with you."

"Well, he did try until I threatened to tell Solaris that he still owns his cowboy footy pajamas."

"No way!" Lucas chuckled. "I thought he gave them away."

"Nope. Total lie," Haley laughed. Nathan watched as his brother and Haley started talking and reminiscing. All of a sudden, he felt like the third wheel. He'd never remembered feeling out of place around them before. Nathan sighed softly to himself. He wished that he could be that way with Haley again. They'd gotten along really well before the kiss and these feelings popped up. He didn't want things to be awkward and forced between them like they were right now. _I have to talk to her_, he decided. If he could get her alone, then they could just work this out and get it over with.

"Um, Haley," Nathan interrupted. She stopped talking to Lucas and turned to look at him. "Did you want to…" he started to ask but was cut off by the arrival of a very flustered Peyton.

"There you are! Jeez, Nathan, you said you'd only be a minute," Peyton complained. "You just took off on me. I know that you don't like dancing, but I thought that you could at least…"

"It's not his fault. We all got sidetracked," Lucas interjected. Nathan threw his brother a thankful look. Peyton was usually really nice. But when she got pissed off, they all knew to run for the hills.

"Sidetracked with what?" Peyton questioned while folding her arms.

"Me," Haley spoke up. Peyton turned to look at her. She frowned for a second before realization set in, and her face softened.

"Oh my God. Haley James?" she asked shocked. "Is that you?"

"The one and only," Haley quipped. This whole situation had gotten even more uncomfortable. She knew that Nathan and Peyton were formally dating. Lucas and Taylor had filled her in on the things that were going on while she was away. Haley figured that would happen. But it didn't mean that it hurt any less at the time. However, she was determined not to let it get to her now. It's not like she spent the last three months staying in and pining away for Nathan. She'd had a great summer and met some amazing people—one person in particular she'd grown to care about very much. That's what she planned on focusing on.

"Damn, I didn't even recognize you. You look great," Peyton complimented with a genuine smile. "I love the hair."

"Uh, thanks."

"Did you get that done in Los Angeles?"

"Um, yeah," Haley answered a little confused. She never told Peyton she was going away for the summer. "How did you…"

"We talked about you a lot, since we missed you like crazy," Lucas filled in.

"Oh," she commented.

"It was pretty annoying actually," Peyton teased. "So, is Brooke back, too? I'd love to see her. It's been awhile since we've all talked."

"She's somewhere," Haley stated with a shrug. "I lost her about a half hour ago."

"Well, why don't we try to find her?" Lucas proposed.

"Sure," Haley agreed. _Then I can strangle her for leaving me alone with those other guys. _

"I'll join you," Peyton added.

"Alright, let's go," Lucas said. He'd just started turning around to lead the way when Nathan spoke up.

"Actually, guys, I think I'm going to head out."

"What? Why?" Peyton asked confused.

"I've had enough of this party. I'm pretty wiped from moving in today. I think I'm just going to go back to the room and crash." _Not to mention that my brain is on overload now that Haley's back._ He really needed to leave, so he could figure out how the hell he was going to handle all of this. And he was pretty sure that if he ran into Quentin again, that they'd end up getting into some type of smack down.

"So you're just going to take off again and leave me here alone?" Peyton questioned with a frown.

"You're not alone. You've got Lucas, Haley, and Brooke. You should stay and have fun," Nathan encouraged.

"You're my ride," she pointed out.

"I can take you back to your dorm after," Lucas offered. "I'll be here for awhile, and I've got my truck."

"See. It's all worked out," Nathan stated. Peyton looked at him for a few seconds before discretely shaking her head.

"Fine. Whatever," she stated. He inwardly cringed. He could tell that she was pissed.

"Look, Peyton…"

"Forget it, Nathan," she dismissed before turning to Haley and Lucas. "Let's go find Brooke."

"Peyton..." Nathan tired again. But she'd already taken off.

"Um, I'll see you later, Nate," Lucas said while giving him a sympathetic look. He then went to follow Peyton. Nathan's gaze shifted to Haley. As soon as their eyes met, he felt like she could see right through him. His heart sped up, and Nathan didn't know if he was more thrilled or unnerved by the sensation. It only lasted for a few more seconds until Haley finally looked away.

"I better catch up to them," she stated. "Have a good night, Nathan."

"You, too," he replied afterward. Unfortunately, she was already too far away to hear.

* * *

"Brooke, turn that music off," Haley grumbled from her bed the next morning. 

"I don't have any music on," she answered back sleepily.

"Well, then where the hell is it coming from?" Haley asked while sitting up. Brooke groaned before grabbing her pillow and putting it over her head. Haley checked the clock and saw that it was close to nine o'clock in the morning. Normally, she'd already be up and dressed by this time. But she was still making up for her jetlag and staying out late at the party last night.

"Whoever it is, kill them for me," Brooke mumbled. Haley then threw back her covers and got out of bed. She grabbed her THC sweatshirt at the end of the bed and put it on before opening their door. It didn't take long to figure out that the music was coming from the room across the hall from them. Haley saw that the door was open and decided to pay their disturbers of the peace a little visit. She walked into the room, but no one was in there. Haley passed by the boxes on the floor to the stereo. She looked around quickly before turning it off. She then tried to make a break for her room. Unfortunately, though, she wasn't quick enough.

"Yo, we are gonna have to sort through all this crap today," one guy said. He was a little on the short side, dark skinned, and had a closely shaved head. "Because I fully intend to find some hotties this weekend and give them the full tour of our humble abode."

"Whatever, man," the other guy laughed as they walked into the room. He was taller. He also had shaggy brown hair, brown eyes, and a muscular build. Overall, he wasn't bad on the eyes—at least in Haley's opinion.

"You'll see. After I pimp this room, all the women will be…whoa. That was fast," the first guy commented when he saw Haley standing there in the middle of the room.

"Uh, hi, can we help you?" the brown-haired guy asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm Haley. I live across the hall from you," she replied. She shifted a little uneasily when she saw them staring at her in her pajama shorts and sweatshirt. _ I probably should've put jeans on, too_, she thought.

"See, I told you we'd have good-looking neighbors. I'm always right." The brown-haired guy shook his head good-naturedly at his roommate before walking over to Haley.

"Hi, I'm Jake," he greeted while holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Haley responded with a small smile. _At least he's polite_, she thought.

"And that smooth talker over there is my friend/roommate Skills."

"What's up?" Skills said as he came to also shake Haley's hand.

"I'm sorry to come barging into your room," Haley apologized. "The door was open and…"

"Don't worry about it," Jake dismissed.

"Yeah, it's cool," Skills added.

"Well, I just came over because the music was a little too loud. My roommate Brooke and I just returned from California recently, so we're still pretty jetlagged."

"I'm sorry. Did we wake you?" Jake questioned.

"Yeah," Haley answered. "So I shut it off. I hope you don't mind."

"That's alright. We only had it on while we moved all of our crap in here," Skills stated. "We didn't mean to disturb you or anything. We'll keep it down next time."

"Thank you. We'd really appreciate it," Haley said sincerely.

"No problem," Jake commented. Haley gave them both small smiles.

"Well, I better get back to my room," she declared. She could feel a slight awkward silence forming. "I guess I'll see you guys around."

"Count on it," Skills said with a friendly wink.

"Bye, Haley," Jake called. Haley gave them a quick wave and then headed back into her room.

"Who's music was it?" Brooke questioned. Haley was happy to see that she'd removed the pillow from her face.

"The guys across the hall. They promised to turn it down, though," Haley answered.

"Were they hott?" Haley rolled her eyes laughing. That was such a Brooke thing to say.

"Yeah, they were good looking."

"Awesome."

"But it's not like it matters," Haley said nonchalantly as she returned to her bed.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked with a kinked eyebrow.

"It means that I saw the flirty interaction between you and Lucas last night. That, combined with the fact that you were pining for him all summer, means…"

"Oh my God, I did not! Brooke Davis does not pine," she objected while bolting up.

"You pined, and you know it," Haley teased following suit. "And if I recall correctly, there was that time when I heard you mumble his name, among other things, in your sleep."

"So? That doesn't mean anything."

"Your exact words were, 'Oh, Lucas. Go harder! Harder!'" Haley said laughing.

"Shut up!" Brooke exclaimed. She then picked up her pillow and chucked it at Haley—which she quickly dodged. "I did not!"

"Please, like I would make up something like that. I didn't know whether to bust out laughing or be grossed out at the time."

"I hate you, Tutor Girl," Brooke mumbled.

"Because you know that I'm right," Haley sing-songed.

"Whatever. I'm not admitting to any—oh my God! Is that the time?" Brooke asked looking at the clock on the nightstand. "Shit!"

"What's the matter?" Haley questioned concerned.

"Don't you remember? Lucas is going to be here in ten minutes to show us around campus and help us find our classes!" Brooke exclaimed. "I didn't even pick out an outfit yet!"

"If you aren't pining, then it shouldn't matter what you wear," Haley teased.

"Tutor Girl, less talking and more dressing," Brooke ordered as she rifled through the clothes in the closet. Haley laughed softly to herself as she quickly tried to find her own outfit. No matter what Brooke said, Haley knew that her best friend had developed a crush on Lucas. She'd caught Brooke staring a few times at the pictures of her and Lucas that she'd brought to Los Angeles. They'd seemed to have really hit off at her graduation party in May—as well as the party last night. And if Haley wasn't mistaken, she could've sworn that Lucas was vibing on Brooke, too.

"I'm ready," Haley declared five minutes later. She had on a yellow cotton, short-sleeve, belted blouse, designer jean shorts, and stylish flip flops. Her light makeup was applied and her short hair styled. Haley glanced in the mirror satisfied with her appearance. She'd been a little reluctant in the beginning of the summer when Brooke had suggested that she change her look. Eventually, though, Haley had given in. The whole point of going to Los Angeles was to get away from Tree Hill and try new things. So, with the guidance of her fashion-guru best friend, she'd gotten a whole new trendy wardrobe and hairstyle. It had been hard to get used to at first, but now Haley had to admit that she loved it.

"Well, I'm glad for you," Brooke muttered sarcastically. "Now come over here and help me before he…" A knock sounded on the door. "…gets here. Oh crap."

"The blue halter top with the jean mini skirt and belt," Haley suggested. "I'll stall him."

"Tutor Girl, I love you!" Brooke declared.

"Yeah, yeah, now you change your tune," she laughed before heading towards the door and opening it slightly.

"Hey, Luke, we'll just be…" Haley trailed off when she saw who was with him. "Nathan?"

"Hey," he greeted with a timid smile.

"Um, what are you doing here?" she questioned confused.

"I invited him. I figured that it would be better if he showed you your classes while I showed Brooke hers. This way you guys don't get confused," Lucas explained. "Then, when we're done, we can meet up and all have lunch in the Union together." Nathan held his breath as he saw Haley start to process all of it in her mind. He'd been glad that Lucas had asked him to come along. He knew that his brother had wanted an excuse to spend a little more alone time with Brooke. Apparently, they'd had a great time reconnecting at the party last night. Nathan wanted to help Lucas out. So he had accepted the invitation immediately. However, he mostly just wanted to talk to Haley. He'd been up all night trying to figure out what to say to her. Now was his chance to get her alone without it seeming suspicious. He just prayed to God that she went along with it.

"Is that ok?" Lucas questioned.

"Uh, could you just give me a minute?" Haley asked. But before either one could respond, she'd already slammed the door shut in their faces. Lucas gave Nathan befuddled look while he just shrugged.

Haley took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She was not expecting to deal with Nathan again so soon. Last night at the party had been extremely awkward. She'd actually been relieved when he decided to leave early. Seeing him again for the first time had been shocking enough. Haley needed time to gear herself up for the talk that was long overdue between them. But now, it seemed as if time had run out.

"Ok, I'm ready," Brooke proclaimed after she finished fixing her hair in the mirror. She turned around to face Haley and frowned. "What's the matter? You look a little pale, Tutor Girl."

"Tigger, we have a death-con five," Haley stated panicked. However, she tried to keep her voice low, so they couldn't hear on the other side of the door.

"Why? What's the matter?"

"Lucas invited Nathan with him. And he's going to show me my classes while Lucas shows you yours," she said.

"What?!"

"Ssshhh!" Haley scolded while putting her hand over Brooke's mouth. "They can probably hear you."

"Ok, sorry," Brooke apologized in a hushed tone after removing Haley's hand.

"What am I going to do?"

"I don't know. Do you think you're finally ready to talk it him?"

"I don't know. Things were so weird at the party last night. I don't know if I can deal with that right now," Haley said. "Ugh, this sucks."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I'd just do it. I mean, it's been three months. You'll probably feel so much better once you get it over with."

"I guess you're right," Haley declared after a minute or so.

"Of course I'm right," Brooke said confidently. "You can do this. You've moved on, remember? Don't lose your nerve now."

"Ok," Haley said with a determined nod. "Thanks, Tigger. I needed that."

"No prob. Now come on," she urged while looping their arms together and walking towards the door. "It's time to face the music."

"Right," Haley sighed. _God, help me…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, thank you all very much for the reviews last chapter! I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I'm balancing multiple stories, school, and life so it takes awhile. I totally wish I had Superman's speedy agility. That would definitely help. lol! I hope you guys like this chapter. I re-wrote it about three times until I finally got it the way I wanted. Anyway, please read and continue to review. They definitely motivate me. Also, as a native New Englander, go Patriots! The Superbowl is today, and I hope they win!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Haley chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she walked side by side with Nathan across campus. They'd said goodbye to Lucas and Brooke five minutes prior and promised to meet them in the Union for lunch around one o'clock. Now it was just the two of them. Nathan had asked her which class she wanted to find first. Haley had chosen biology, since she heard that the science buildings were farthest away. He'd nodded before finally leading her in the right direction. That was the only talking they'd done since they were alone. Every once in a while she noticed Nathan looking at her. But she assumed that he was just making sure that she was keeping up. Haley had to take three quick steps to make up for his one. _Damn tall people_, she thought.

"What building did you say it was again?" Nathan asked. Haley jumped slightly in surprise at hearing his voice.

"Um, White Hall," she answered while looking down at her schedule.

"Ok, it should be right around this corner," he stated. Haley nodded and continued to follow him. A few seconds later, they were standing in front of the large, and unsurprisingly white, building. "Here it is."

"Wow, it's big," she commented.

"Yeah, you can't miss it," Nathan said. "So, do you feel comfortable getting to this one? Or do you want me to explain how we got here so you're sure?"

"No, I've got it," Haley stated. "We can just go on to the next one."

"Which is?"

"Harp Hall. My French class is there."

"Alright, that would be this way," Nathan said while ushering her to the right. Like before, neither one talked as they walked to the next building. Nathan knew that he'd have to take the plunge and talk to Haley eventually. He was just having trouble finding a way to bring it up. Things had been really awkward between them at the party, and it still felt that way now. He tried reminding himself that it was just Haley. He knew her. They'd hung out and had conversations countless times. There was no reason why he shouldn't be able to do this.

"Is something wrong?" Haley questioned. Nathan shook away his previous thoughts and concentrated on her.

"What?" Nathan replied.

"Is there something on my face or in my hair?"

"No. Why?" he asked confused.

"You…um…you keep looking at me," she commented. Nathan frowned. Had he been looking at her? He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't really paying attention. But since he was thinking about Haley, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that he was stealing a few glances every so often. Suddenly, though, he felt a little embarrassed.

"Well, you look good. I mean fine. I mean…" he tried to quickly correct when he realized how wrong that sounded. "…I mean there's nothing on you or anything."

"Oh, ok," Haley said. Her cheeks looked a little pink, and he could've sworn that he saw a small smile forming on her face. _I'm such a moron_, he berated himself. The last time he'd stumbled through his words like that with a girl was…well…never. It only seemed to increase Nathan's anxiety about their impending conversation. How would he be able to say the things he needed to say if he could barely articulate his words around her?

"You're doing it again," Haley stated after a few minutes. Nathan shook his head slightly as he was brought out of his thoughts a second time.

"Am I?" he asked with a frown.

"Yeah," she answered with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Haley. I didn't even realize I was doing it," he apologized—feeling like an even bigger dope.

"That's alright. I've gotten used to guys gawking at me," she teased.

"I wasn't gawking," he denied a little flustered.

"You weren't?"

"No."

"Then what were you doing?" she challenged.

"I was thinking," Nathan answered matter-of-factly.

"About?" she prodded.

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Just…basketball stuff," he made up. "You know, plays, stats, suicides, and all of that." Haley looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

"So the reason why you were gawking at me so intently for about five minutes straight was because you were thinking about basketball stats and suicides?" she questioned in disbelief.

"Yes," he responded. "And I wasn't gawking."

"Could've fooled me," she muttered.

"I wasn't!"

"You were staring right at me," Haley pointed out laughing.

"I wasn't," he repeated before adding, "Were you always this annoying?"

"I don't know. Were you always such a terrible liar?" she threw back. By now, the two had stopped walking and were facing each other. Nathan let out a frustrated sigh. This was definitely not part of the plan.

"Haley, I…"

"You were thinking about our kiss last May," she interrupted. "Or at least how to bring it up so we can talk about it, right?" Haley felt the muscles in her stomach tighten when their eyes locked. From the stunned and slightly guilty expression on Nathan's face, she could tell that she'd guessed right. As much as Haley was dreading this conversation, she didn't know if she could stand another second of the awkwardness or silence between them. She tried to ease the tension by joking around with him at first. But now, the seriousness of the conversation seemed inevitable.

"Yeah," he answered. "Sorry. That's not how I wanted to start things off. I guess I sort of panicked."

"Well, you're not the only one," Haley assured him. "I've been trying to figure out how to handle all of this, too." Nathan nodded before looking around. There were a lot of people passing by.

"Did you maybe want to go somewhere more private? To talk," he added. He didn't want anyone to overhear them. All it would take was one person with a big mouth to walk by. Before they knew it, everyone on campus would know their business. And that would definitely not be good.

"Sure," Haley replied catching on. She didn't want to talk about this out in the open either.

"Follow me," Nathan instructed. A couple of minutes later, they arrived in front of the gym.

"It's locked," Haley declared after trying to open one of the doors.

"I can take care of that." Nathan then reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He searched through them until he found the right one. Afterward, he proceeded to unlock the door. He held it open for Haley to go in first.

"Thanks," she muttered while passing him. Nathan made sure to lock it again so that no one could come in. Once that was done, he looked over and noticed that Haley had already taken a seat on the bleachers. He walked over and sat down next to her.

"So, I'm assuming 24-hour gym access is one of your assistant coaching perks," Haley commented.

"Yeah, it comes in handy," he smirked.

"Well, at least I know where the gym is now," she stated. "I have cheerleading practice in here in a couple of weeks."

"So you did make the squad."

"Yeah," Haley replied with a nod.

"I'm assuming Brooke made it, too."

"Yup. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already plotting to get Solaris' captainship before she graduates," she joked.

"Me either," Nathan laughed. "What was it you guys used to call her again?"

"The Cheer Nazi," Haley supplied.

"That's right," he said remembering. "Good name."

"Yeah," she agreed with a smile. They're eyes locked for a second, and they both got quiet. Nathan took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Look, Haley, about what happened in May…" he began. "…I just want to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that or for you to feel uncomfortable."

"Do what? Kiss me and take off?" she commented. Haley tried to keep her voice normal, but a slight edge seemed to have slipped into her tone. She'd be lying if she said that a part of her wasn't still hurt and angry. Haley had decided to move on from him that summer—to let him go. For a while, she thought that she'd been successful. But coming home and facing him right now was turning out to be a lot harder than she ever could've imagined. Everything she'd been feeling seemed to come flooding back. Haley knew that she had to do it, though. Despite what a great summer she had, their kiss was always present in the back of her mind. The aftermath was always hanging over her head. She wasn't free yet—not until this was all out in the open and resolved.

"I guess I deserved that," Nathan muttered—instantly feeling guilty.

"Why did you kiss me?" Haley questioned. Her gaze was intense and, for a second, he felt like she could see right through him.

"I don't know."

"You don't know, or you don't want to say it?" she prodded unconvinced.

"Both, I guess. Haley, I don't want things to be any weirder than they are."

"Nathan, this situation is already screwed up enough. Please just be honest with me. I think you owe me at least that."

"Haley…"

"Nathan," she persisted. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because…" he trailed off uncomfortably. Nathan had been expecting her to ask something like that. However, that didn't ease his nerves now that he was face to face with her.

"Nathan," Haley urged.

"I was attracted to you," he finally answered while looking her in the eyes. "I saw you in that white dress, and I lost it. I mean, you were always Matt and Taylor's little sister. You were the one who would follow us around with that what's-his-name teddy bear and…"

"Mr. Waffles," Haley corrected.

"Yeah, him," Nathan said before continuing on. "Anyway, you were Baby James. Then, the next thing I know, you've got curves, breasts, legs, and it threw me off. Way off."

"I hate to break it to you, Nathan, but I've always had those," Haley pointed out as she tried her hardest not to blush from his words.

"Yeah, but not like that. Trust me," he muttered. Haley rolled her eyes discretely. She'd definitely gotten her curves a long time ago. Men really could be so oblivious.

"So that's it. You just kissed me because I looked un-Baby James like in a dress," she concluded a little bothered. While she was flattered that he'd called her attractive—something that she'd always wanted to hear from him—Haley didn't want to just be some plaything he used.

"Well, that's what got my attention at first. But then we played miniature golf and you showed me your predictions," he explained. "We started to get along really well and one thing led to another." There was more to it than that. Nathan knew that he'd actually felt something towards Haley before. But it was too late to go there now. The situation didn't need to be any more complicated or uncomfortable than it already was.

"But what about you?" Nathan asked when she was quiet for a minute or so.

"What about me?" she replied uneasily.

"I didn't totally initiate the kiss. You wanted it, too, Haley," Nathan pointed out. "Why did you kiss back?" Haley averted her eyes briefly. A part of her wanted to get it all off of her chest. Just tell him how she'd felt about him all these years and let him deal with it. But she knew that she couldn't. Even if she didn't plan on acting on those feelings, they would still be out there. She could never take them back. Things would always be weird and awkward between them. The others would certainly notice the difference. Haley didn't want anything from the past affecting their group of friends now.

"Same reason," she lied. "I think I just got caught up in the moment."

"Haley, I really am sorry. And I shouldn't have taken off on you. I actually stopped by your house to talk to you that Monday, but Taylor said you'd already left for Los Angeles," he stated. "I would've liked to at least have said goodbye to you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just had to get away," she explained.

"I thought you were mad at me. Either that or you felt weird about it—which I can totally understand," he commented.

"It was a mixture of both," Haley answered truthfully. She then took a deep breath before adding, "After the kiss, I left the party for a while to clear my head. I ended up at the Market Street Dock." Nathan felt his stomach drop at that. Haley didn't continue—nor did she need to. Just one look into her dark brown eyes told him that she'd seen everything between him and Peyton. Nathan knew that he and Haley weren't dating or anything at the time. Peyton was the one that he'd initially asked out. She was the person that he was supposed to be kissing. However, that didn't stop the feeling of guilt and betrayal that he was experiencing while looking at Haley now.

"Haley…" he tried to explain before she cut him off.

"I'm not going to lie, Nathan. I was upset when I saw you and Peyton together. I know that we weren't involved or anything. She was your date. But it still hurt that you could kiss me one second and then go to her the next," she explained. "Which is why I left early. I knew that it wouldn't have been long before you showed up to give me the whole 'it-was-a-mistake' speech."

"Haley, I never meant to hurt you. That's the last thing I wanted," he told her.

"I know," Haley replied. She could see the sincerity reflecting in his piercing blue eyes. While one part of her was glad to see that he was regretful for his actions, the other part couldn't help but feel slightly wounded. She didn't want to be his mistake. But Haley quickly pushed that feeling aside. That part of her life was done. She was starting a new chapter. Her college experience wasn't going to be like high school. Haley was finished pining away for a guy that she could never have.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked. Nathan was placing the ball in her court. He'd hurt and confused Haley enough. Whatever happened next, it would be her decision.

"Well, I was hoping that we could leave everything else behind us and still be friends," Haley proposed.

"I'd like that," Nathan commented. "But, um, there's just one thing. I know that you and Peyton are sort of friends. I guess I was just wondering if you are ok with us being together. If you're not I understand but…"

"Nathan, I really like Peyton. She's a nice person. If you guys are happy together, then I'm happy for you," Haley stated. Nathan nodded. That had been one of his major concerns this summer. When he found out that Peyton and Haley actually knew each other, he'd been afraid that things would get even messier when Haley returned. He was relieved now to find out that that wouldn't be an issue.

"And it's not like I'm alone, so there's no hard feelings," Haley added. Nathan tore his gaze away from the basketball court to stare back at her.

"What?" Nathan questioned with a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"I met someone over the summer," she announced.

"Oh," he said while trying to suppress the punch in the gut he was now feeling.

"His name is Chase. He's actually a senior at Stanford this semester and…" Haley started to explain.

"Wait, a senior?" _What the hell? The guy's freaking old!_

"Yeah. He'll be graduating in a couple of semesters. Anyway, he's a really nice guy, and we became great friends over the summer in L.A."

"Haley, I don't…"

"And just a couple of days ago, before I came home, he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"But he's in California," Nathan pointed out. _How can they have a real relationship if they don't even see each other?! _This was not good.

"I know. The long distance thing is going to be hard, but we can always talk on the phone and e-mail. Plus, he invited me to join him and his family for Thanksgiving. So we'll get to see each other then."

"Does Matt know about this?" he asked. Surely, he wouldn't allow her to go out with someone that much older than her. There are a lot of psychos in the world that would love to prey on innocent girls like Haley. And the guy was from Los Angeles. That wasn't promising. Nathan hadn't heard of any good, respectable guys living in that city. This whole thing spelled trouble, and he didn't like it at all. Not one bit.

"Not yet. Brooke is the only person that knows right now," Haley said. "I want to see how things go with Chase and me before I tell Matt and the others anything." Nathan looked at her for a few more seconds before turning his gaze to the basketball court in front of him. He was completely stunned. He knew that Haley would meet new people over the summer, but he hadn't expected her to get serious with anyone—especially with someone older. The whole thing definitely irked him.

"Are you happy?" Nathan found himself asking.

"Yeah, I am," she replied after a moment. Nathan searched her eyes for any sign that what she was saying was untrue. He didn't find one.

"So, what do you say? Friends?" Haley questioned while holding her hand out to him.

"Ok. Friends," he finally agreed before taking her hand and shaking it. Almost instantly, he felt an electric jolt shoot through him at the contact. Their eyes locked. And for a second, Nathan could've sworn that Haley felt it, too.

"So, um, how about you finish giving me that tour?" Haley proposed while pulling her hand away and standing up.

"Uh, sure," he stated relieved. If he'd held her hand for any longer, he was almost positive that that weird haze would fill his brain. And that was not supposed to occur when you were with a friend. "Where to?"

"I was thinking we could go to the Academic Enhancement Center next," she said. "I'll need to know where to meet my new tutees this semester."

"I didn't know that you were still planning to tutor," Nathan commented as they made their way to the gym doors.

"Well, I love it. Plus, it helps with my education major," Haley explained.

"That's always good."

"Yeah," she agreed. Nathan opened the door and allowed her to go first. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he responded. As he started to lead her to the building, the two talked about much lighter topics. It wasn't long before they started to relax around one another and engage in some friendly banter—just like old times.

"You are such a liar!" Haley declared laughing.

"What? It's true," Nathan defended.

"It is not," she objected. "Freshman cheerleaders do not have to shave their heads."

"Yes, they do. I heard Solaris tell Taylor that she was considering it. You know, to keep you all in your place."

"She never mentioned anything to us."

"It's supposed to be a surprise," he stated with a wide smirk.

"Ugh, you are such a jerk," Haley commented. Nathan laughed out loud. He loved busting her up.

"Hey, don't hate the messenger. Besides, I can totally picture you with that whole G.I. Jane look," Nathan teased.

"Shut up!" she exclaimed before swatting him in the stomach.

"See, and you have the violent tendencies to go along with it."

"What did I tell you before? I'm not violent. I'm…"

"Feisty," he filled in. "Same thing."

"No, it's not," she argued while shaking her head. "And how much farther until we reach Jones Hall? I'm starving, and Brooke and Lucas are probably waiting for us." All they had to do was find this last building for her math class and they'd be done.

"Actually, it's right here," Nathan said. They stopped in front of a tall, brick building. He then pointed to the right. "If you go back that way, that's where your dorm is."

"Good to know," Haley stated. "Now can we go eat, please?"

"You L.A. girls are so impatient," he mocked while shaking his head.

"Oh, stop it," she laughed as they made their way to the Union. A few minutes later, they were in the large cafeteria searching for Lucas and Brooke.

"There they are," Nathan stated while pointing in their direction. He smirked when he saw Lucas say something that made Brooke bust out laughing. She shoved his shoulder.  
Nathan's smirk grew when he saw the goofy grin on his brother's face afterward.

"Hey, guys," Haley greeted once they'd reached the table. It took a couple of seconds for Brooke and Lucas to acknowledge their arrival. Much to Haley's delight, they seemed to be very wrapped up in each other at the moment.

"Oh, hey," Brooke replied finally. "We were wondering when you'd show up."

"I bet," Haley mumbled under her breath as she tried not to laugh.

"Haley here has a full schedule, so it took a little longer than expected," Nathan said.

"Well, let's get some food. I'm starving," Lucas declared.

"Me, too," Haley agreed.

"Um, Tutor Girl, I'm going to stay and watch the table. Could you get me a salad?" Brooke asked as she shuffled through her purse. She pulled out some money a second later.

"I've got it," Lucas offered.

"Oh no, Luke, you don't have to…" Brooke started to protest.

"I want to," he stated. "You just sit tight and guard the table."

"You, too, Hales. What do you want?" Nathan questioned.

"Well, I was going to get a turkey sandwich but…"

"Ok, be right back," Nathan interjected before he and Lucas went to get the food.

"Are they really buying our lunch for us?" Haley asked Brooke in disbelief.

"Yup," she beamed. "Broody is so sweet."

"Who's Broody?"

"Oh, it's my new nickname for Lucas. You know, since he's usually quiet and thinking a lot," she explained.

"So, we're already onto the pet names stage now, huh?" Haley teased.

"Shut up!" Brooke laughed while giving her a playful smack on the arm. She then looked toward the food line where Lucas and Nathan both stood. Afterward, she leaned in close to Haley. "Ok, before they come back, how did things go with Nathan?"

"Um, we managed to work things out. We're going to stay friends."

"And?" Brooke prodded.

"And what?"

"Come on, Tutor Girl, I want the juicy stuff. Did you tell him that you saw him and Peyton together?"

"Yes."

"What was his reaction?"

"He felt really bad about it and apologized."

"Good," Brooke stated. "He should be sorry. Now let's get to the really good part. What did he say when you told him about you and Chase dating? Was he crushed? I totally bet he was. Guys always get like that when they find out that someone moved in on their territory."

"First of all, he just looked surprised. Second of all, I'm not his territory," Haley replied with an amused smile. The things her friend came out with.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Brooke said with a casual flick of her hand. "Besides, did we not tell you that that was a good idea?"

"I don't know," Haley replied. "I still feel weird about it."

"Tutor Girl, it's fine. Chase and I are geniuses. Trust me, this is the best solution."

"I hope you're right. Because if this backfires, I'm going to kill you both." Haley had been a little weary when Chase and Brooke had proposed their plan to her a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, they both seemed to share the same determination and skill for persuasion, because they managed to convince her to go along with it a day later.

"It'll be fine," Brooke assured her. "Now, did Nathan say anything else?"

"Well, he did tell me why he kissed me in May," Haley said.

"Why did he?" Brooke questioned. Haley could see the bubbling curiosity and intrigue in her best friend's eyes.

"Let's just say that the white dress did its job," she hinted.

"I knew it! He thought you looked sexy, huh?"

"He said attractive."

"Same thing, Tutor Girl," Brooke declared. "Oh, we can have so much fun with this."

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it," Haley warned.

"I'm not thinking anything. If he thought that you were hott then, imagine what he thinks now. Especially with your new look."

"Tigger, I don't care what he thinks," Haley stated. "I've moved on."

"So? It doesn't mean that you can't have a little fun torturing him. The Kissing Bandit deserves it."

"Tigger, I told you to stop calling him that," Haley said while trying to suppress a smile. It was sort of funny, but she'd never admit that to her.

"What? I think it's a very befitting nickname," she defended.

"Just make sure not to say that in front of him," Haley warned. "And they're coming back so let's drop it." She then quickly stopped talking and smiled when Lucas and Nathan finally reached the table.

"Here you are, ladies," Lucas announced as he and Nathan placed their food in front of them.

"Aw, thanks, Broody."

"Broody?" Nathan questioned confused.

"Don't ask," Haley said with a small laugh before thanking him for the food.

"So, what were you ladies talking about?" Lucas asked as he took a bite of his burger. Haley and Brooke made up something about their dorm building being loud and crazy. Afterward, Lucas and Nathan started giving them some more pointers about college life.

"…and whatever you do, don't get too drunk on a Sunday night. You will regret it come Monday morning," Nathan finished.

"I think you'd regret it any morning," Haley laughed.

"Definitely," Lucas agreed.

"Oh crap," Brooke muttered suddenly.

"What's the matter?" Lucas asked concerned.

"Haley, our stupid freshman activity for the afternoon starts in ten minutes," she groaned. "Damn 'Welcoming Weekend.'"

"That sucks," Nathan commented. "Where is it?"

"Right here in the Union," Haley answered. She then started to get up. "We better go. I hate being late. Thanks for showing us around, guys."

"No problem," Lucas replied. "We should all hang out again soon."

"That'd be great," Brooke stated with a beaming smile. "Give me your phone real quick." Lucas handed it to her. A few seconds later, Brooke gave it back to him. "Call me when you want to get together."

"I will," Lucas replied with a wide grin. Nathan looked between the two and then at Haley. They shared a knowing smile. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was noticing the sparks between his brother and Brooke.

"Well, we have to get going," Haley said after she finished throwing her lunch away. Afterward, she looped her arm through Brooke's and started to pull her along. "Bye, guys. Thanks again."

"Bye," they replied.

Once they were a good distance away, Haley spoke up, "So, getting the digits. I believe that's phase two."

"Hush, Tutor Girl. You have no right to talk. I totally saw Nathan checking out that fine ass of yours when you bent down to pick up your napkin and throw it away."

"He did not!" Haley protested as she felt her cheeks flame up slightly.

"Oh, he most certainly did," Brooke laughed. "Like I said, torture."

"I don't care."

"Whatever you say," Brooke sighed nonchalantly. "But this semester is going to get very interesting."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone, thank you all very much for the reviews! I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. It was so hard for me to write Nathan and Haley's conversation. I wanted them to talk and be honest. But at the same time, they're not really at the point where they can be fully open with each other. So it was tricky, but I'm happy with the way it came out. This chapter was difficult to write, too. But that's only because of all the Naley drama on the show with that skank Carrie (or "Nanny Scarrie" as one of my reviewers cleverly termed it). It makes it really hard to find inspiration and stay focused when all of that bullshit is happening. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I think everyone deserves a break from S5 at the moment. So please read and review! Thanks!  
**

* * *

** Chapter 11**

Nathan checked his watch as he made his way from the Union towards the freshman dorms. After giving Haley her tour and having lunch with Lucas and Brooke, he figured that he couldn't put off seeing Peyton any longer. He'd tried calling her a few times, but she wouldn't answer. Nathan didn't really get why she was so pissed at him. Sure, he'd promised to stay with her at the party, but he really had to leave and clear his head. She had Lucas, Brooke, and Haley there with her. He wouldn't have left otherwise. Nevertheless, he figured it'd be better if he just got it over with and apologized.

A couple of minutes later, he finally made it to her dorm. He swiped his student ID card to unlock the door and entered the building. Nathan then made his way up the stairs to the second floor. Peyton was in room 210 at the end of the hall. When he reached her door, he took a deep breath before knocking. He heard some shuffling around. It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal a short girl with glasses and long brown hair.

"Hey," Nathan greeted. The girl stood there silent with a stunned look on her face and her mouth slightly agape. "You're Peyton's roommate Gigi, right?" She nodded—still not saying anything.

"Um, I'm Nathan," he introduced. "Peyton's boyfriend." She nodded wordlessly again. Nathan shifted a little uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Is Peyton around?" he questioned. Gigi shook her head.

"Ok, um, could you just tell her that I stopped by?" Nathan asked. Just like before, she nodded in response.

"Uh, thanks," Nathan replied awkwardly before turning around to leave. The girl was kind of creeping him out.

"She's at one of the freshmen events," Gigi finally spoke up—surprising him. He turned around to look at her. "But she'll be back in about five minutes. You can come in and wait if you want." This time, it was Nathan who nodded. He was planning on leaving, but it would be pointless if Peyton would be back so soon. Five minutes alone with Gigi wouldn't kill him.

"Thanks," Nathan said while making his way into the room.

"Sure," she responded. It wasn't hard for Nathan to figure out which side of the room was Peyton's. She was a really great artist. A lot of the things she drew were very dark, but they were still good. He noticed a few of her drawings hanging up on the wall by her bed. There were also a few posters of bands that she was into. He took a seat on the red and black comforter—her two favorite colors—on her bed. Nathan then looked across the room to Gigi's side. The girl seemed to have a thing for purple. Her comforter, pillows, a few articles of clothing, hand lotions on the bureau, and pictures all seemed to feature the color.

"So, are you here to apologize?" Gigi asked out of the blue. Nathan looked away from the sea of purple to stare at her.

"Yeah," he stated with a frown. "How did you…"

"Peyton's been in a weird mood. Plus, I've discovered that she tends to put on angry rock music and blast it. I asked her if something was wrong and all she said was 'men suck.'" Nathan felt his stomach drop at that. Now he really wasn't looking forward to talking to Peyton.

"We just had a little disagreement. We'll work it out," he informed her.

"For the sake of my ears, I hope so," Gigi said with a smile. Nathan returned the gesture. She didn't seem so weird once she actually started talking.

"So where are you from?" Nathan asked. He wanted to keep the conversation going before she got oddly quiet again.

"Charlotte," Gigi answered. "You're from Tree Hill like Peyton, right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"That's cool," she commented. Gigi then added afterward, "By the way, sorry about staring before. I've seen you in some of Peyton's pictures, and you're just a lot hotter in person."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Nathan replied with a small laugh. This girl was so random.

"And don't worry. I'm not coming onto you. I just thought I'd let you know why I couldn't talk before. I tend to freeze up around the male species—especially good looking ones. Don't take it personally," Gigi informed him matter-of-factly. "It takes awhile for my brain to start functioning properly."

"I won't," Nathan said with a reassuring smile. That explained a lot. He could understand her intimidation. Lucas was always shy and nervous around girls growing up. He was getting better now, though—if what happened with Brooke this afternoon proved anything.

"So, um, what year are you?" Gigi asked. "You don't really look like a freshman."

"I'm a junior," Nathan answered.

"Sweet." For the next couple of minutes, the two talked about casual things. Nathan was happy to see that Gigi's anxiety seemed to be fading a little bit. He'd probably be stopping by the dorm a lot throughout the semester to see Peyton. He didn't want Gigi to get really uncomfortable when he did.

"You coach the basketball team?" Gigi asked astonished.

"I'm an assistant coach," Nathan corrected.

"That's awesome. I love basketball. Did you see the end of the Bobcat's season this year? That call by the ref during the last game was totally lame." Nathan felt his mood perk up—as it always did when he came into contact with another major basketball fan.

"Oh, I know. The guy fouled him and got away with it," he stated.

"I swear, there's no justice in the NBA anymore," Gigi commented while shaking her head. Nathan was just about to say something else when he heard the door unlock and then open. Peyton came in and stopped dead in her tracks.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned to Nathan surprised.

"I came to talk to you," Nathan answered.

"I'm…um…going to head down to the dining hall for an early dinner. Later, guys," Gigi said before taking off and shutting the door behind her. Nathan didn't blame her. Peyton was now standing with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry," Nathan apologized after a couple of minutes of silence.

"For?"

"For leaving the party early," he elaborated. "I promised that I'd stay with you, and I didn't. I just thought that you'd be ok by yourself with Haley and Brooke."

"I did like spending time with them again. But I'm not just mad that you left early. You completely abandoned me, Nathan, right before we were going to dance," Peyton replied. "It's not like I really knew anyone else there that well. I felt like an idiot."

"Well, I'm sorry about that, too. It's just that I had to see if what Tim said about Matt and Solaris hooking up was true. We all made a bet, and a hundred bucks was on the line. I didn't intend on being gone long."

"Wow, it's nice to know that you've got your priorities straight," Peyton scoffed as she dropped her purse down by the bed next to him. She then walked over to the small end table with her stereo on top and rifled through the CD's beside it.

"Peyton, come on. I told you that I was sorry. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Nathan questioned—getting slightly agitated. He still didn't understand why she was getting so upset over something so simple. They'd had tiffs before, but he hadn't seen her this livid.

"Oh, so now it's my fault!" she exclaimed angrily.

"I didn't say that! Why the hell do you keep twisting my words around?" he asked loudly. He then stood up to face her.

"I didn't twist anything around. You're blaming it all on me."

"No, I'm not. You're acting ridiculous," he countered.

"Oh, so now I'm ridiculous! Thanks a lot, Nathan," she shouted before slamming the CD case she'd just picked up back on top of the pile.

"See, this is what I'm talking about. I didn't say you were ridiculous. I said you were acting like that."

"Same damn thing," she retorted while picking up another CD, putting it in the stereo, and then cranking the volume.

"Peyton! Peyton!" he yelled over the loud music. "Turn that shit off. I'm trying to talk to you."

"Well, you know what? I don't want to talk to you right now! So why don't you just leave?!" she shouted back. Nathan stood there staring at her for a second trying to figure out what the hell was going on. This wasn't like her to be so irrational and immature. Something was up.

"Peyton," he said loudly in a calmer tone. "What's wrong?"

"Just go," she ordered. She then walked towards the door and held it open. Nathan opened his mouth to say something else but quickly shut it when he saw the death glare she shot at him. He shook his head defeated. There was no talking to her when she was like this.

"Fine," he retorted. "Call me when you actually want to talk." He touched her arm briefly before finally leaving the room. A second later, he heard the door slam shut behind him and the music being cranked up even louder. He let out a frustrated sigh. _Well, that got me nowhere._ Nathan then walked to his own dorm building. When he got to his room, Lucas was already in there playing around on his laptop at his desk.

"So, how'd things go with Peyton?" he asked.

"Terrible," Nathan answered before flopping down on his bed. "We got into an even bigger fight."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, it does. And the worst part is I have no idea what she's so damn pissed about. I mean, she had fun with you guys at the party after I left, right? She wasn't acting funny or anything?"

"She was fine. She talked with Brooke and Haley about cheerleading and classes and stuff. I didn't think that anything was seriously wrong."

"Then I really don't know what the hell is going on," Nathan sighed while running his hand over his face. The whole situation was getting so blown out of proportion.

"Give her some time to cool off. She'll come around," Lucas advised. Nathan nodded. "By the way, Whitey called. He wants to meet up with us later and work out a schedule around our classes for practice and meetings and stuff."

"That's fine," Nathan answered. He could use a distraction. He'd originally feared that his conversation with Haley was going to be a disaster. Surprisingly, it turned out really well. Not that he was complaining. He was glad that they could put everything behind them and continue being friends. It was also one less thing he had to worry about—especially since now he was going through some type of drama with Peyton. Her behavior certainly caught him by surprise today.

"Hey, did you want to call up Matt and Tim?" Lucas proposed. "Maybe we could go play some ball in the gym for a while." Nathan looked over at his brother and nodded. A basketball game sounded pretty good right about now. It always helped him deal when he was stressed. And after the day he just had, he really needed to blow off some steam.

* * *

"Oh my God, shut up!" Haley laughed. 

"It's true," Jake replied.

"No way," Brooke said.

"Yes, it is. I swear on my dog's life," Skills declared.

"It is not," Haley objected. "And that's horrible. Don't swear on your poor dog's life."

"He doesn't have a dog," Jake assured her.

"Oh, you don't?" Haley asked Skills with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, no. I actually hate animals," Skills revealed. "But if I had one, I'd still swear on his life."

"How can you hate animals?" Brooke questioned.

"He had a pet turtle once that…" Jake began.

"Jake, man, I thought we agreed to never bring up Stinky again," Skills interrupted.

"You named your turtle Stinky?" Haley asked with an amused smile on her face.

"What? Don't give me that look, James. When you've smelled the inside of a turtle bowl, you'll understand," Skills defended.

"Whatever, I want to know what Stinky did," Brooke persisted.

"He…" Jake started again.

"Jake, do you want me to shove your face into my boiling hot bowl of soup?" Skills threatened while nodding down at his dinner in front of him.

"He bit him," Jake said anyway.

"That's it. You're dead."

"What's so bad about that?" Brooke questioned confused.

"It bit him in the nose, and he started screaming like a sissy girl…"

"Excuse me, I did not scream like a sissy girl."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't."

"Ok, what happened after that?" Haley prodded.

"Then, being the big, strong, masculine hero that I am, I rescued him," Jake answered.

"'Hero' my ass. You just ripped the little demon off," Skills clarified.

"Which you could've done if you weren't too busy screaming like a sissy girl," he countered. Brooke and Haley looked at each other before busting out laughing. Jake and Skills were a riot. Just from their banter and mini fights they often got into, it was easy to tell that they'd been best friends for most of their lives. Brooke and Haley had started hanging out with them over the weekend. They'd run into the pair at one of the many boring and tedious freshmen activities and decided to get to know each other. They were neighbors, after all. Ever since then, Skills and Jake had become their official dinner buddies in the dining hall—which was where they were currently situated at the moment.

"Stop, I'm going to puke," Brooke laughed while clutching her stomach.

"When did this all happen?" Haley giggled.

"I was five years old," Skills answered. "I've been traumatized ever since. And I did not scream like a sissy girl," he stressed to Jake.

"Whatever, man," Jake chuckled. "I still know the truth."

"That was great," Brooke commented as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's just what I needed after the day from Hell."

"Me, too," Haley agreed. Today had been their first day of classes, and it was stressful, to say the very least. The professors that she had so far hadn't been that nice. Her workload this semester already seemed pretty high. The only good thing was that she was able to successfully navigate her way to her classes—which was all thanks to Nathan and his tour.

"Your classes sucked, too?" Skills questioned them.

"Yeah," they both answered.

"My first professor gave us a pop quiz," Jake spoke up. "I mean, how can she even do that? We didn't read anything yet."

"Because she's most likely crazy and has no life," Brooke said as she ate the last bite of her sandwich. "Either that or she desperately needs to get laid."

"Brooke!" Haley scolded as Jake and Skills busted out laughing.

"What?" she replied innocently.

"I guess I'll take that as my cue to leave," Haley declared before she started to pack up her things.

"Come on, James, it wasn't that bad," Skills teased.

"I know. But I have to head over to the library anyway. I want to get some of the mounds of homework done." Haley had a whole new set of classes tomorrow. Lord only knows how much more work would be piled on her by then.

"Ok, I'll be back at the room," Brooke said. "Don't stay out too late. This campus is creepy when it gets dark."

"I promise, Mom," Haley kidded. Brooke stuck her tongue out playfully in response. Haley then gave her and the guys a small wave before making her way to the library. As soon as she entered the building, Haley walked towards the tables in the back. She looked around to find an empty one when she spotted two familiar figures over to the right.

"Hey, guys, mind if I join you?" Haley asked. Both Lucas and Nathan looked up from their books to greet her.

"Sure," Lucas answered with a smile as he removed his backpack from the chair between him and Nathan.

"Thanks," Haley replied as she sat down.

"So, how was your first day of classes?" Nathan asked.

"Not that great. My professors are kind of mean," she answered. "And I already have a ton of work to do."

"I'm sure it'll get better. They always have to be tough on the first day," Lucas said.

"Yeah, they're all about evoking fear," Nathan added.

"Well, it worked," Haley laughed. She then pulled a book and notebook from her messenger bag. "What about you guys? How did your classes go?"

"Not bad," Lucas answered. "I just have a lot of reading to do for my English courses."

"Just be lucky that you don't have to do math," Nathan said. He'd been staring at his worksheet for his statistics class for the last ten minutes, and he still couldn't figure the problems out. It also didn't help that his teacher had barely explained anything while they were in class. This wasn't good if it was only the first session and he already didn't understand the material.

"You need some help?" Haley offered.

"No, I've got it," he replied. "You've got your own work to do."

"Nathan, I don't mind. I'm Tutor Girl, remember?"

"I know, but I'm ok. I promise."

"Alright," Haley responded after a few seconds. She could tell from his furrowed brow and the way that he kept tapping his pencil on the notebook that he was having a tough time. But she wouldn't push him. She knew how some people could feel embarrassed asking for help. "But if you get really stuck, just ask me." Nathan nodded before giving her a small smile. She then opened her book and started reading the pages her American Lit professor assigned.

Nathan continued to stare at the paper in front of him in complete confusion. _How the hell do you figure this out?_ He attempted to solve the problem again. A couple of minutes later, however, he ended up erasing it. He knew the answer was way off. Nathan then snuck a glance at Haley. She was concentrating on reading her book. He didn't want to interrupt her. After a couple of seconds, he tapped his pencil on his paper and let out a sigh. _This is hopeless_.

"Nathan," Haley muttered softly. He glanced over at her and saw that concerned look in her eyes.

"I'm fine," he stated.

"Oh really?" she questioned. "Is that why you haven't been able to answer one of those problems in the last ten minutes?"

"I was thinking." He heard Lucas snort. Nathan rolled his eyes at him before looking back at Haley.

"Nathan, it's ok if you need some help. Let me just see it," Haley requested. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before giving in and handing her the paper. It wasn't like he was getting anywhere with it. A little push in the right direction couldn't hurt. Lucas also leaned over to see.

"Whoa, that does look hard," he commented. Haley didn't say anything. She was clearly in her Tutor Girl mode as she continued to read over the problems.

"So? Do you get it?" Nathan asked after another minute or so.

"Yeah, you were just using the wrong formula," Haley answered.

"There's more than one?" he questioned surprised. Haley laughed softly.

"Yeah, look." She moved her chair over so that she was closer to him. Afterward, she slid the paper between them and started to explain what he was doing wrong. Nathan tried to focus intently on what she was saying. But he couldn't help picking up on the familiar scent of gardenia that she was wearing.

"Do you understand that now?" Haley inquired.

"What?" he questioned back slightly perplexed. _Damn it, Nathan_, he berated himself. _Pay attention! _

"Ok, let me break this down so it's not as confusing," Haley stated.

"Hey, Nate, I'm going to head back to the room," Lucas interrupted while packing up his books. "I'll see you later."

"Alright," Nathan responded.

"And Haley, did you maybe want to grab some lunch in between classes tomorrow?" Lucas proposed.

"Sure. What time?" she asked.

"I was thinking around twelve o'clock."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Haley answered.

"Awesome. I'll call you," he promised. "Later."

"Bye," she said with a wave before turning back to Nathan. "Where were we? Oh yeah, so you have to use this formula…" Haley began to explain. This time, Nathan made sure to keep his senses in check. He listened intently as Haley broke down the equations and showed him how to use them correctly.

"That's it?" he questioned shocked. The material was actually starting to make sense now. _Why couldn't the idiot just explain it like this in class?_

"That's it," she conceded. "So try to solve that now." Nathan did as Haley instructed. He looked over the problem and applied the correct formula. When he was finished, Haley checked it over.

"Well?" he asked hesitantly.

"Good job," Haley complimented with a wide smile. "You got it right."

"Really?"

"Yup. It looks like there's hope for you after all," she teased.

"Hey, I would've figured it out eventually," Nathan stated jokingly. "Not all of us can be geniuses like you."

"I am not a genius," she denied. However, Haley could feel the blush forming on her face.

"Says the valedictorian."

"Shut up," Haley laughed while nudging him.

"You know I'm right," he smirked.

"Just be quiet and finish the rest of the problems," Haley ordered while trying to suppress a smile. She then reopened her book and resumed reading. She could see out of the corner of her eye that his smirk was still firmly in place. She shook her head discretely as she tried to regain focus on the book. A little while later, she was finally finished. Haley searched through her messenger bag and took out her cell phone to check the time. She was surprised to see that it was close to nine thirty. Afterward, she started packing up her things. She didn't want to have to walk back to her dorm alone when it got really late. It was bad enough that it was already dark out.

"Are you leaving?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah, it's getting late, and I have to be getting back to my room."

"I'll walk you," he said as he, too, started to gather his things.

"Oh, no, that's ok," she assured him.

"I'm not letting you walk back to your dorm alone in the dark," Nathan stated firmly. There were some outside lights located around campus, but they weren't in every area. God only knows what type of prowlers could be lurking around in the dark corners. Needless to say, there was no way in hell that he was going to leave Haley unprotected.

"I'll be fine. Plus, you've got homework to finish."

"I'm done," Nathan informed her. "Now let's go." Haley opened her mouth to protest but shut it when she saw his "I-mean-business" expression. Although, she was secretly happy that he was so adamant about going with her. Haley always hated the dark as a child. And even though she was all grown up now, it still seemed to freak her out.

"Ok," she gave in. Nathan nodded before leading the way out of the library. At first, Haley kept some distance between them. But when they got to an area without lights around, she quickly sidled up to Nathan.

"So, I can see that you're still scared of the dark," he commented with an amused smile.

"It's just so creepy and…mysterious," she replied with a shudder. "I hate it."

"Now, aren't you glad that I came with you?"

"Well, maybe a little," she said offhandedly. Nathan just smirked. But it soon left as he felt a chill run up his spine. While they were walking, he noticed Haley's arm occasionally brush his. He could feel her soft, warm skin against his own. Nathan suddenly cursed the hot weather and the fact that he'd decided to wear a short-sleeved shirt today. He and Haley had agreed to be friends. And he had a girlfriend—even though Peyton was still not speaking to him at the moment. It had been several days since their big fight in her dorm room, and Nathan still had no idea what was going on with her. Nevertheless, he shouldn't be having these weird sensations while hanging around Haley.

A couple of minutes later, he was glad to see that they finally reached her dorm building. Haley opened her messenger bag and began searching around for her student ID. Once she found it, she glanced back up at Nathan.

"So, um…" she began when her phone suddenly went off. Haley then hunted for it in her bag. When she pulled it out and flipped it open, Haley saw that she had a new text message.

"Brooke wondering where you are?" Nathan asked.

"No, uh, it's from Chase," Haley answered as she read the message.

"Oh," Nathan commented as he felt his stomach knot up. "What does he want?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"He just wants me to call him when I have the chance. He probably wants to hear how my first day of classes went," she explained with a small smile. Nathan nodded and felt his fists clench in his pockets.

"Well, I better leave you to it then," Nathan declared. "And thanks for helping me earlier with my homework."

"No problem. Call me if you have anymore trouble. I'd be happy to help," Haley replied. "And thanks for walking me back. You never know when the boogie man might jump out at you from behind a bush."

"You're welcome," Nathan laughed. Haley smiled before saying goodnight. She then turned to swipe her ID in the door and entered the building. Nathan waited until she was safely inside before walking towards his own dorm. Meanwhile, his mind drifted back to the subject of Chase. Nathan felt his stomach clench further. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. It was just a damn text message. Tons of couples communicated that way. It wasn't anything major. So then why was he getting so worked up over it? Nathan didn't know. But one thing was for sure, he didn't particularly want to find out. Because something told him that it could only lead to more trouble.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews last chapter! As always, I loved reading them. This chapter doesn't have a lot of Naley, but there will be in the next one. Anyway, I hope you like it. Please read and review! Enjoy!  
**

* * *

** Chapter 12**

Haley groaned as the loud, piercing ring of her phone awoke her from a deep, comfortable sleep. Her first class today wasn't until eleven o'clock, so she had decided to sleep in. She'd been up late with Brooke trying to help her with her math homework, as well. Apparently, the confusion was going around.

"Ugh, Haley, answer that damn thing," Brooke whined as she pulled her pillow over her head. Haley let out an annoyed sigh before answering it.

"Hello."

"Good morning, love muffin!" Chase's overly bright voice said on the other line. "How's my girl?"

"Chase Adams, there better be one hell of a good reason why you're calling me this early in the morning."

"Haley, it's nine o'clock over there. You're usually up earlier than that," he pointed out.

"Well, Brooke and I had a late night. So I figured I'd sleep in just this once," she explained. "But what are you doing up? It's six o'clock over there."

"I never went to bed," he laughed.

"Oh, well, that was smart," Haley teased sitting up. She was wide awake now. And once that happened, she never could fall back asleep.

"Some of my friends here at school and I hung out. We haven't seen each other all summer, so it was like a mini reunion."

"That's nice," Haley stated as she walked over to her dresser to find an outfit for the day. She smiled when she saw that Brooke still had her head buried under her pillow.

"Did you get my text message last night?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I was a little busy, so I was going to call you back today."

"Busy doing what?"

"I was just with a friend," Haley answered coolly.

"Really?" Chase asked curiously. "Male or female?"

"Does it matter?" she laughed.

"Absolutely."

"Fine, it was a male."

"Love muffin, you're not cheating on me, are you?" Chase questioned in jokingly stern voice. Haley rolled her eyes and laughed.

"We'd have to actually be going out for me to be cheating on you. And how many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Call you what, love muffin?" Haley rolled her eyes again. Chase knew exactly what she meant, but he always loved to bust her chops.

"That," she stressed. "It sounds weird."

"Well, I like it," Chase proclaimed. "And since we're quote unquote dating, I have to have some type of pet name for you."

"You're killing me, Chase," she sighed dramatically. She heard him laugh on the other end, and it brought another smile to her face. Haley remembered the first day that she met Chase. His family owned the house next to Brooke's. She'd been lying in the sun on a lounge chair by the pool waiting for Brooke to come back out with their drinks when a volleyball came flying over the fence. It ended up landing in the water, splashing her. Chase had come running over a few minutes later with his two friends Junk and Fergie apologizing. Brooke then came back outside. And being the social butterfly that she was, invited the guys to hang out with them that afternoon.

Haley and Chase had started talking. Almost instantly, they clicked and got along well. The first couple of weeks they just hung out and got to know each other better. Eventually, Chase asked her out on a date, and Haley accepted. They went out for a little less than a month before realizing that they made better friends than an actual couple. But even though it didn't work out romantically, Haley was glad that she put herself out there. It was one of her first steps towards getting over Nathan. She went on a few other dates with some guys she met. None of them really held her interest, and she was ok with that. It wasn't like she was looking to get serious with anyone.

She'd enjoyed the summer and relaxed as best she could. But as soon as the time to go home grew closer, that's when Haley started to panic a little. She'd been so nervous about facing Nathan. Everything was up in the air, and Haley had no idea what to expect. Chase had immediately sensed her anxiety. It wasn't long before she finally broke down and told him the whole story about her and Nathan. Brooke was there, too, and also filled in some of the details.

Then, before Haley even knew what was happening, the two were concocting a plan to help her out. Brooke had kept telling Haley that she should say that she was seeing someone when she went back home—even if she wasn't. So at least when she finally talked to Nathan about everything, she wouldn't be left standing in the dust. She'd have some way of showing him that she moved on. Chase had thought it was a great idea, too, and offered to be her knight in shining armor. While Haley had been grateful that they were looking out for her, she was still weary. She didn't like lying. But after a lot of convincing from her two friends, she finally went along with it. And now here she was. Back in Tree Hill talking to her pretend boyfriend/good friend on the phone and hoping that their plan wouldn't blow up in her face down the road.

"So, have you seen him yet?" Chase asked changing the subject.

"Seen who?" Haley questioned as she now searched through the closet for an outfit.

"The Kissing Bandit."

"Yes, and you and Brooke really need to stop calling him that."

"Whatever. What happened? Did you guys talk?"

"We did. Nathan apologized, and we're going to try to be friends."

"Can you handle that?" Haley could hear the underlying concern in his tone.

"Chase, I'm going to be fine. In fact, it was my idea. I've moved on, remember?"

"Alright, just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt again. Because if you do, I'm flying over there and kicking his ass."

"I'd like to see that," Haley teased.

"What? You think I couldn't do it?" he said in mock outrage.

"Well, Nathan is pretty tall. And then there are all of his muscles from playing years of basketball and…"

"Hey, just because I don't work out everyday does not mean that I don't have any muscles."

"I'm just saying. Nathan's in tip top shape."

"Whatever. I could still take him," he muttered. Haley could just picture the pout that was most likely on his face right now. She then looked at the clock and groaned.

"Look, Chase, I have to go. I have to get ready and then grab some breakfast before my class."

"Ok, let me just say 'hi' to Brooke real quick."

"Brooke, Chase wants…" Haley began.

"Tell him I'll call him later," Brooke mumbled from under her pillow.

"She's a little busy at the moment. She says she'll call you later."

"Ok," Chase replied. "Good luck with your class."

"Thanks. Bye, Chase."

"Goodbye, love muffin. Have a nice day!" Haley just laughed before shutting off her phone and getting dressed. About fifteen minutes later, she was finally ready to go. She'd talked to Chase for a while and was now running a little late.

"Brooke, I'm going," Haley stated. She just gave her a small wave and muttered something that Haley couldn't quite understand, since her head was still buried under that damn pillow. She laughed softly to herself. Brooke was definitely the worst morning person. Haley then grabbed her bag and headed to the dining hall. She quickly ate breakfast and went to her music class. When she entered the room, she was both surprised and thrilled to see Jake sitting in one of the middle rows.

"Hey, Jake," Haley greeted while taking a seat next to him. "I didn't know you were in this class."

"Yeah, music is sort of another hobby of mine," he stated. "I'm glad you're here. Now I actually know someone." Haley nodded in agreement. She was relieved to know someone else, too. Haley looked at her watch. They had about ten minutes until class started up. The two then started talking casually.

"I totally agree," Haley said. "I…"

"Haley?" a voice questioned. Haley looked up to see Peyton standing in front of her.

"Hey, Peyton."

"Hi, I didn't know that we were in the same music class."

"Apparently, it's going around," Jake laughed. Peyton smiled at him and looked to Haley curiously.

"Oh, Peyton, this is Jake. He lives across the hall from Brooke and me. Jake, this is my friend Peyton," Haley introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," Jake said while holding a hand out to her.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Peyton stated as she shook it. "You guys mind if I sit with you?"

Haley was just about to answer when Jake beat her to it, "Not at all."

"Thanks," Peyton responded with a smile. She then joined in on Jake and Haley's previous conversation. After a couple of minutes, though, the professor finally entered the room and class began.

* * *

"Is it just me or does our teacher spit when he talks?" Peyton questioned after class had ended. 

"Yes. Thank God we didn't sit in the front," Haley laughed. "That's just gross." Peyton nodded in agreement.

"So, where are you headed?" Peyton asked.

"I'm meeting Luke right now for lunch in the Union," she answered. "What about you?"

"I don't have another class until two o'clock, so I'll probably just head back to my dorm."

"Or you could join us?" Haley offered.

"Oh, no, I don't want to intrude."

"No, it's fine," Haley assured her. "Come on."

"I don't…"

"Peyton, it's just lunch," Haley teased. The curly blonde cracked a smile before nodding.

"Ok." They then started to make their way to the Union. The two were silent for a little bit until Peyton spoke up.

"So, Jake's pretty cute," she commented. "Don't you think?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," Haley said with a shrug.

"And he seems really nice."

"He is," she responded before looking at Peyton curiously.

"He looks like he'd be good boyfriend material," Peyton continued. Haley felt her stomach knot up slightly. Why was she talking about Jake like that when she was dating Nathan? They'd just met for the first time today. She then stopped walking and turned towards Peyton.

"Do you like, like him or something?" Haley blurted out before she could stop herself._ Good one, Haley_, she thought sarcastically. _That was tactful. _

"He seems really cool, but I wasn't talking about him being good for me," Peyton laughed. "I meant for you."

"Oh," Haley replied as she felt her face redden from embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I'm not real nonchalant when it comes to playing Cupid," she said. "But you guys would look cute together. And you seem to get along real well."

"Well, we're just friends," Haley informed her.

"Maybe for now."

"Nothing's going to happen," she declared. "Besides, I'm already taken."

"You are?" Peyton asked surprised. Haley nodded in confirmation. She didn't necessarily want to tell Peyton about Chase, but she also didn't want her playing matchmaker. The last thing she needed was someone else trying to set up a boyfriend for her. "Does he go here?"

"No, he's at Stanford. I met him over the summer in Los Angeles," Haley explained.

"What's he like?"

"Well, Chase is nice, funny, intelligent, cute…" she trailed. "Pretty much the whole package."

"Wow, I had no idea. Nobody even told me that you were dating anyone."

"That's because only Brooke and Nathan know." As soon as the words left her mouth, Haley regretted them. _Oh crap!_ She glanced over at Peyton and saw the confused look on her face.

"Why'd you tell Nathan?"

"Oh, um, I didn't," Haley answered as she quickly tried to come up with an excuse. _Ugh, I hate lying!_ "Nathan overheard me talking to Brooke about him."

"Oh," Peyton said.

"Yeah, I didn't want everyone to find out just yet—especially Matt. He's so overprotective, and it drives me crazy."

"Well, don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Peyton promised with a reassuring smile. Haley let out a silent sigh of relief. _That was close._

"Thanks," she stated. "So, um, how are things going between you and Nathan?" It was really the last thing she wanted to hear about. But Haley wanted to take the attention off of the subject of herself and Chase. She was still frazzled from her near slip up a few seconds ago, and she didn't want to blurt anything else out.

"Honestly, not so good," Peyton sighed. Haley stared at her with a stunned expression. She hadn't heard Nathan or the others mention them having problems. In fact, Nathan seemed to be acting like everything was normal. But then again, he was known to put up a wall from time to time when things bothered him.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking," Haley quickly added.

"I kind of flipped out on him a few days ago for taking off on me at the party," she explained.

"Why?"

"It's not really about that. I mean, yeah, I was pissed at him. But something else was bothering me, and I took it out on him. We haven't talked since." Haley waited for Peyton to elaborate. However, she just remained quiet—seemingly lost in her thoughts. Haley didn't push it further either. If Peyton wasn't comfortable telling her, then she understood.

"Well, I'm sure you guys will work it out," Haley commented in the most optimistic voice she could muster.

"I hope so," Peyton replied. She then smiled timidly before continuing to walk towards the Union. Haley remained silent and followed. Although she was worried about Peyton, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Nathan. It seems like he'd been on the receiving end of his girlfriend's wrath and really had no idea what it was even about. _I hope he's ok._

* * *

Nathan raked his hand through his hair frustrated. He'd had another full day of classes, went to the gym for a while to work out, and had returned to his dorm room to get some of his homework done. However, it was now becoming quite difficult to concentrate. Lucas came back to the room about an hour ago with Tim and Matt in tow. Ever since then, they'd been engaged in a very intense game of NBA Live. 

"No!" Tim shouted. "That was so uncool!"

"Hey, it's not my fault your defense sucks," Matt replied.

"Lucas, you were supposed to be guarding me," Tim chastised.

"The damn button got stuck," Lucas defended.

"Hey, can you guys keep it down?" Nathan called from his desk. "I'm trying to get some stuff done."

"Dude, why don't you just join us already?" Matt asked.

"I can't. I've got a ton of reading to get done for my marketing class tomorrow," Nathan replied.

"That sucks," Tim commented. "We could use you, Nate Dogg."

"What are you talking about? He'd be on my team," Matt spoke up.

"Not uh. I'm going to trade Lucas."

"Hey!" Lucas protested.

"What?" Tim replied. "You're making us lose."

"I am not!" Nathan sighed while shaking his head as Lucas and Tim started to argue. There was no way that he was going to get anything finished. _Ah, what the hell_, he thought before closing his book. _If you can't beat them, join them._ A short break wouldn't kill him.

"Where's the other controller?" Nathan asked as he took a seat beside Matt on the floor.

"I knew you'd come around," Matt stated with a triumphant smile.

"Great, now we're screwed," Tim muttered. Lucas just rolled his eyes while feverishly pressing the buttons of his controller. After a few minutes, he and Tim started to catch up.

"Shit," Matt muttered as he missed a three pointer.

"Get ready to eat my shorts, James," Tim taunted.

"Fat chance," he scoffed. The game was quickly approaching the Sudden-Death Round, as Nathan liked to call it.

"Yes!" Tim shouted at the top of his lungs as he and Lucas high fived each other. "Take that!"

"Son of a bitch," Matt cursed. He then turned to glare at Nathan. "What the hell was that?"

"Hey, don't blame that on me. I covered your ass like I was supposed to," Nathan replied.

"I demand a rematch."

"No way," Lucas objected. "We won fair and square." He then went over and flopped onto his bed. Nathan smirked as he saw the angry pout form on Matt's face. He was always the most competitive one when it came to their NBA Live games.

"Whatever. I'll get my revenge next time," Matt warned as he threw the control down and took a seat on Nathan's bed. Tim followed as Nathan went back to his desk.

"I think spending all of that time with Solaris lately has softened you up," Tim teased.

"Shut up, Dim," Matt gritted out. Nathan smirked before he started to read the rest of the assigned chapters for his class. He vaguely heard his friends talking and arguing behind him. For the most part, he was able to tune them out.

"…I don't care if they're nice. I don't trust them," Nathan heard Matt mutter a few minutes later.

"You don't trust anyone anyway," Lucas pointed out with a laugh.

"Well, this time I really mean it," Matt stated. "If they put any moves on Haley, they're dead." At the mention of Haley, Nathan's head snapped up from his book.

"What?" he asked.

"Huh?" Matt questioned back confused.

"Who's putting the moves on Haley?" Nathan inquired.

"No one," Lucas answered. "We're just talking about some guys she and Brooke have been hanging out with."

"What guys?" Nathan prodded with an uneasy feeling.

"Skills and Jake," Tim replied. "They live across the hall from them."

"They're going to pull something. I just know it," Matt mumbled.

"They are not," Tim argued.

"Did you meet them?" Nathan questioned Matt curiously.

"Well, no, but Taylor did. She ate dinner with them all in the dining hall a couple of nights ago."

"I met them, too," Tim added. "I visited Haley earlier today to talk about her tutoring me this semester in my writing class. The four of them were doing some type of movie night thing, and I hung out for a little while. They seemed pretty cool," Tim explained. "It was fun."

"Well, I'm still going to keep an eye out," Matt declared. "And so should the rest of you." Nathan didn't know whether he believed Tim or Matt. Both were complete opposites. Tim was usually laidback and didn't read too much into things. Matt, on the other hand, was always more uptight and tended to overanalyze everything—especially when it came to Haley.

"I'm sure it's fine. Besides, you know we always look out for her anyway," Lucas pointed out. Nathan nodded in agreement. Making sure that Haley was ok had always been a given in their group over the years, and Nathan didn't see that ever changing. "And speaking of looking out for each other, I had lunch with Peyton today, Nate."

"What?" Nathan questioned taken aback. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did," he stated. "She's in Haley's music class, and she invited her to join us. I didn't know she was going to come."

"Did you guys make up yet?" Matt asked. Nathan had told him and Tim all about the fight when they played basketball the other day. Based on his aggressive behavior during the game, it wasn't hard for them to pick up on the fact that something was bothering him.

"No," Nathan sighed.

"Well, she was asking about you," Lucas informed him. "She didn't come out and say it, but I think she feels bad about what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if she stops by or something soon to talk."

"I won't hold my breath," Nathan muttered. Despite the fact that he'd been worried about Peyton, he'd be lying if he didn't say he was aggravated by her behavior. She'd completely ignored him for most of the week without so much as an explanation to what she was really pissed about. He knew that he hadn't been the absolute best boyfriend lately, but did he really deserve to be treated like that?

"Well, I think…" Matt began when a knock suddenly sounded on the door. They all got very quiet, and Nathan could feel his friends' gazes on him. He let out a soft sigh before heading to the door to answer it.

"Haley?" he questioned surprised.

"Hey," she greeted with a friendly smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um, I was just wondering if Lucas was around," she said. "I have something for him."

"Yeah, come on in," Nathan stated while stepping aside.

"Tutor Girl, what's up?" Tim greeted.

"Tim, long time no see," she joked.

"You're following me now, aren't you? I knew you always had a thing for The Tim all these years," he teased. "Ow!" he exclaimed a second later when Matt socked him in the arm. "What the hell?"

"Dude, that's my baby sister," Matt retorted.

"So?" Tim replied confused.

"Matt!" Haley warned when she saw her brother about to hit Tim again. "Knock it off. He's only joking."

"But he…"

"Just lighten up," Haley stated firmly. She was only in the room for two seconds, and her brother was already going into protective mode. And this was just around his friends. Haley was really not in the mood to deal with that right now.

"So, Haley, what brings you to our humble abode?" Lucas questioned good-naturedly. He was trying to change the subject, and Haley sent him a thankful look. He was always the peacemaker.

"I wanted to give you that book we were talking about earlier," Haley replied. "I figured you'd need it for your class tomorrow."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Lucas said while getting up. Haley walked over and handed it to him. "This is great."

"You're welcome. And there's another thing, too."

"What is it?" Lucas asked as he continued to flip through the book.

"Brooke wants you to call her," she said softly so only he could hear. His head snapped up, and she could see his face flush.

"She told you that?" he whispered. Haley smiled at the undertone of excitement she could hear in his voice.

"Yeah. Plus, she's been checking her phone practically every five minutes over the last couple of days," Haley informed him. "But you didn't hear that from me." If Haley had to see Brooke pout or hear her complain about why Lucas hadn't called her yet, she was going to go insane. Haley knew how Lucas could be shy, so she figured there wouldn't be any harm in giving him a little push in the right direction towards her best friend. She smiled a minute later when that goofy grin of his formed on his face.

"What are you two so happy about over there?" Matt questioned curiously.

"Nothing," Haley dismissed. She then gave Lucas a secretive wink before looking back at the others. "So, are you guys doing anything fun or just playing video games again?"

"Video games are fun," Matt declared before muttering, "At least when you win."

"Dude, let it go," Tim commented. It wasn't long before the two started to bicker back and forth.

"They've been like this all night," Lucas said when Haley gave him a curious look. He then flopped back down on his bed, grabbed the TV remote, and started to surf the channels.

"Ooh, stop!" Haley ordered. "10 Things I Hate About You is on."

"What?" Lucas asked perplexed.

"It's a chick flick," Matt said—momentarily breaking out of his argument with Tim. "Keep going."

"No, leave it. It's a classic 90s teen movie and just happens to be one of my favorites," Haley defended.

"Ooh, is that Gabrielle Union?" Tim questioned. "She's hott."

"Please, Luke, can we watch it?" Haley requested with her puppy dog pout that always worked on him.

"Don't do it, Lucas," Matt warned. "And don't look at her face. She always gets away with things with that face."

"Just let her watch it," Nathan spoke up from his spot at his desk. "It's not like there's anything else on."

"Yeah," Tim agreed as he continued to drool over the women onscreen.

"Sure, why not? I don't really care," Lucas said.

"Thanks, Luke," Haley exclaimed as she flopped down next to him on the bed. Nathan smiled while watching the excited expression on her face. She was just too cute sometimes. _Damn it, I did not just think that_, he scolded himself. _Just friends, moron. Friends do not think of other friends as cute. _He was seriously losing it lately. Nathan then quickly turned back around to finish reading his textbook. Unfortunately, ten minutes later, he realized that he was still having trouble concentrating.

"Need some help?" Nathan looked up to see Haley leaning on the side of his desk, staring down at him.

"Why would you ask that?" he questioned perplexedly.

"You're tapping your pencil," Haley pointed out. He gave her another confused look before she elaborated, "You were doing that last night, too, when you were getting frustrated."

"Oh," he replied. "Yeah, I guess frustrated is a good word. I just can't seem to focus on this material."

"Did you want us to turn the TV off?" Haley offered. She'd been really into the movie until she saw Nathan out of the corner of her eye. He couldn't really sit still and was tapping his pencil like before. Nathan looked over at the TV and saw Tim, Lucas, and Matt with their eyes glued to the screen. He then smirked. _So much for them hating chick flicks. _

"No, that's ok," Nathan responded. "It's not really the TV that's distracting me."

"Does it have anything to do with Peyton?" she guessed.

"So I'm assuming that you heard about the fight, too?" he questioned.

"Peyton mentioned it briefly to me today," Haley explained. "It sounds like she kind of put you through the wringer. How are you holding up?"

"Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if I actually knew what I did to make her ignore me for almost a week," he explained with a slight edge in his tone. Haley nodded before putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure things will work out," she stated with a small smile. Nathan returned the gesture as he tried to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart from her simple touch. Haley held his gaze for a few more seconds before finally looking away and dropping her hand. She could feel herself getting sucked into his deep blue orbs. And if that wasn't unnerving enough, there was an odd tingling sensation in her fingers._ Get a grip, Haley,_ she told herself. _You're past this. _

"Thanks, Haley," Nathan muttered softly a second later. She gave him one more smile before returning to her previous spot on Lucas' bed. Nathan turned back around to make another attempt at reading his book. But a few minutes later, however, there was another knock on the door. _Now what?_ He then got up from his desk and answered the door for the second time that night. And, once again, he was surprised by the person standing before him.

"Hey," Peyton greeted quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan questioned—mimicking her words from a week ago.

"I came to apologize," she stated. "And I was hoping that maybe we could talk." Nathan looked at her for a few seconds before nodding. He then turned around to face his friends. They all quickly reverted their eyes back to the TV, but he knew that they were watching.

"Guys, I'm going out for a while," Nathan announced.

"Alright, later," Lucas called while giving him an I-told-you-so look. Nathan's eyes also met Haley's briefly. She gave him another small smile, and he felt his heart, once again, start to beat a mile a minute.

"Nathan?" Peyton prodded when he didn't make a move to leave right away. He quickly snapped out of his minor trance and looked at her.

"I'm coming," he said. He then shut the door behind him and followed her out of the building. They walked for a few minutes in silence until they reached a bench on the quad. Peyton sat down first, and Nathan followed suit.

"I'm sorry about what happened on Saturday," Peyton stated—breaking the silence. "I was totally out of line and being a complete bitch."

"Why were you so pissed?" Nathan questioned as he tried to keep his tone even. "I've been trying to figure it out the whole week, and I still have no idea. What did I do, Peyton?"

"It wasn't you, Nathan," she said. "I mean, yes, I was mad that you left me during the party. But there is more to it than that."

"So what is it?" he asked curiously.

She remained silent for a few seconds before finally looking up at him and saying, "Saturday was the anniversary of my mother's death." Nathan stared back at her stunned. Of all the explanations he expected to come out of her mouth in that moment, that was definitely not it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he inquired while gently rubbing her back. He could see how upset she still was.

"Because I didn't want you treating me differently," Peyton explained. "Whenever people find out they always give me these pitying looks or say 'that sucks' or try to act like they know what the hell I'm going through. It drives me crazy."

"Peyton, you know I would never do that," Nathan told her.

"Well, I just didn't want to chance it. I couldn't deal with you being like that with me, too. I was trying to keep myself busy that day. And then when Lucas mentioned the party that night, I really wanted to go and spend time with you. I needed my boyfriend to help me forget for a little while. But then you took off and my plan to forget about everything pretty much went out the window," she said. "Afterward, it was easier for me to be angry at you than my mom's death, so I sort of latched onto that and you know the rest."

"It's hard for me to deal with, and it takes awhile for me to get back to normal. I'm really sorry," she added a second later. Nathan didn't say anything. He just leaned in to give her a tender kiss on the lips. He felt horrible now that he knew what was really going on with her. She never really talked about her mother's death with him, but he knew that she was deeply scarred by it.

"You should've told me," he declared once they'd broken apart. "I wouldn't have left you if I knew."

"Again, I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"You're forgiven," he said with a small smile. "Just don't keep things like that from me next time. If something's bothering you, I want to know about it. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok," she promised before leaning in for another kiss. It started off slow but quickly became heated when he felt Peyton's tongue push its way into his mouth.

"I've missed you," she mumbled against his lips. "Gigi's spending the night in her friend's room. Did you want to come over?" Nathan pulled away. He still had a lot of homework to do for his class and game plays that Whitey wanted him to go over. He thought about telling her maybe another time But when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes, the words immediately died on his lips. He'd abandoned and disappointed her last week at the party. He couldn't do that to her again.

"Sure," Nathan replied while taking her hand in his. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, thank you all for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter. It's a nice break from angsty S5. Although, and I'm sure that some would disagree with me, I was kind of glad that Haley blurted out the D-word. I definitely don't want them to split up, but I think Haley reached her breaking point, and Nathan knows that now. Which only reinforces the fact that he has to get his butt in gear and fight for his wife and family. It's usually when we come close to losing the things we love that we realize how important they really are to us. And on that note, enjoy the chapter...  
**

* * *

** Chapter 13**

"Pick up the pace!" Nathan shouted.

"Pass the ball!" Lucas yelled after a few seconds.

"What the hell?! Are you guys asleep or what? Let's go!" Nathan shook his head and looked to Whitey. The older man was sitting off to the side while watching the basketball team practice. Whitey ran his hands over his face before nodding to him. Nathan then grabbed his whistle, shot a look to Lucas, and blew it loudly.

"What is going on out there?" Nathan questioned as he and Lucas stepped onto the court. "You all look like you've never played ball before, let alone on the college level."

"This is the second week of practice, and you're all either playing selfish or sloppy," Lucas added. "Toby, watch the turnovers. Kyle, you looked winded fifteen minutes in. And Quentin, you need to learn to pass the damn ball."

"I did pass the ball," Quentin defended. "It's not my fault these suckers can't get open."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tim spoke up. "I was calling to you for about five minutes that I was open, and you still didn't pass the ball."

"That's because the last time I gave it to you it got intercepted," Quentin bit back. "You've got fucking butter fingers."

"First of all, that pass sucked. And second, why the hell would I be eating a candy bar while I'm playing?" Tim asked confused. "I could choke."

"Ugh, you're such a moron," Quentin groaned.

"Hey," Nathan cut in. "Don't put him down. He's right…well, at least about the passing part. You can't keep trying to hog the ball, Quentin. This is a team sport."

"Please, I am the team," he scoffed. Nathan bit his tongue to keep from saying something very unbefitting of a coach. He'd just about had it with Quentin's attitude over these last several practices. The season hadn't even officially started yet, and they were already having trouble reining him in. It was then that Whitey stood up. A look of fire was in his eyes as he approached Quentin.

"Let's get one thing straight," he began. "I don't care how many points you score or how good you are. Basketball _is_ a team sport. And the last time I checked, there was no 'I' in team. So here's what's going to happen, you can either let this message sink into your thick head and abide by my rules, or you can completely ignore my advice and sit your ass down on that bench over there. The choice is yours. But either way, I will not let you screw over these guys again because of your big ego. So what's it going to be?" Quentin glared at Whitey for a minute before shutting his mouth and looking away.

"I'm glad we have an understanding," Whitey commented. "Now you all can go line up. You're going to run a few sets of suicides. And then afterward, we'll continue the game and see if we can get back on track." Lucas then blew his whistle, and the guys ran to the sidelines.

"If Quentin doesn't get in line, he's going to destroy this team," Whitey mumbled before returning to his seat on the bleachers. Nathan sighed as he and Lucas shared a pointed look. _This is going to be one long-ass practice,_ Nathan thought.

"They do not look happy," Brooke said while taking a seat between Haley and Peyton on the floor.

"Who?" Haley questioned as she stretched. They had just gotten done learning another one of the cheer routines and were taking a little break. Solaris and the other girls had spent the last couple of weeks catching them up on the old routines. There was only one more they had to learn before they introduced their new stuff.

"Lucas and Nathan." Haley followed her gaze over to the guys. Brooke was right. They did not look pleased at all. But then again, they'd been yelling at the team for the last hour.

"I guess the guys are really screwing up or something," Peyton said with a shrug.

"Thank you, Miss-States-the-Obvious," Brooke teased. Peyton rolled her eyes and laughed. Haley just shook her head and smiled.

"Actually, speaking of obvious," Peyton stated a minute later with a huge grin.

"What?" both Brooke and Haley asked. Peyton gestured behind them. Heading in their direction was a delivery guy holding an elaborate bouquet of a dozen red roses.

"Ooh, who ordered flowers?" Brooke wondered aloud as all the other girls on the squad started talking excitedly. _Oh, God,_ _please let those not be for me_, Haley prayed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the man stated. "But is one of you a Miss Haley James?" _Crap._

"Oh my God," Haley mumbled as they all turned their eyes to her. There was no doubt in her mind that her face was quickly turning a nice shade of cherry red from embarrassment. Even the basketball team had stopped what they were doing to look over.

"She's right here," Peyton announced. A second later, Haley felt both her and Brooke pulling her up.

"I just need you to sign for this," the guy said while passing her the clipboard. Haley tried her best to keep her hands steady. She was so shocked she was slightly shaking. The fact that everyone was still staring at her wasn't helping her anxiety right now. Haley hated to be the center of attention like this.

"Thanks. Here you go," the man stated while taking the clipboard and passing her the flowers. "There's also a note," he added before leaving.

"Oh my God, Tutor Girl, you have to open that note right now!" Brooke excitedly exclaimed as she pulled it out of the bouquet and handed it to Haley.

"Who are they from?" Solaris asked as she and the other girls crowded around her. Haley pulled the small card out of the envelope and read it to herself. _"Dear Haley, I just wanted to do something special for you. I've been thinking a lot about you lately. I miss_ _you_. _I hope classes and everything are going well. Enjoy the flowers and give your lovesick boyfriend a call soon. Love, Chase." _

"Chase," Haley answered while passing the note to Brooke. Peyton and the other girls then leaned over so that she could see it, too.

"Who's Chase?" Theresa asked.

"My boyfriend," Haley tried to say in the most normal voice she could muster. _He is so going to get an earful later, _Haley thought. While the gesture was sweet, she could kill him for having them delivered in front of everyone. But then again, that's probably why he did it. She'd talked to him the other day. He'd been asking her about cheerleading, and she mentioned that their practices coincided with the basketball team's—which meant that Nathan would be conveniently nearby to see her receive them.

"Damn, he's good," Brooke commented with a satisfied smile.

"That is so sweet," another girl named Stephanie cooed. "I wish my boyfriend would do things like that for me."

"Me, too," Peyton added as she looked to the other side of the gym. Haley followed her line of sight and quickly met Nathan's stare. He had a slight frown on his face as his eyes bore into hers. Haley felt a shiver run up her spine and quickly looked away.

Nathan felt his stomach knot up and his fists clench. The flowers were from Chase. He just knew they were. All of the girls were now surrounding Haley and seemed to be talking a mile a minute—no doubt gushing about her "perfect" boyfriend. _Anyone can pick up a phone and order flowers_, he thought. _What's the big damn deal? _A second later, Nathan was jarred from his thoughts by a loud whistle blowing.

"Did I say you could stop running?!" Whitey yelled to the team. "Or were you expecting flowers from your boyfriends, too?" All of the guys stared back at Whitey with grossed out expressions before quickly sprinting to the sidelines to finish their suicides.

"I wonder who sent them."

"Huh?" Nathan asked while turning to his brother.

"I wonder who sent them." Lucas repeated while nodding towards Haley. _Probably just some jerky senior attending an expensive west-coast school, trying to buy off the affections of sweet, innocent girls like Haley.  
_

"I have no idea," Nathan commented a second later. He then shifted his focus back towards the team. _They can't even do suicides right_, he thought moodily. "Pick up the pace! Let's go!"

It wasn't until an hour later that practice was finally over. Nathan couldn't be more thankful for that. His throat was sore from shouting so much. The guys had still been playing sloppy towards the end, and it just seemed to tick him off even more than usual. Even as he walked back to the dorms now with Peyton by his side, he couldn't seem to unwind.

"…so I was wondering if we could go tomorrow night?" Peyton asked. "Are you free?"

"Yeah, sure," Nathan answered—not even knowing what he'd just agreed to. He had so many things on his mind at the moment.

"Awesome. I think it'll be a lot of fun. I've been waiting for months for it to come into town," she said excitedly.

"Until what comes into town?" Nathan questioned confusedly.

"That art exhibit," Peyton answered.

"What art exhibit?"

"Um, the one I've just been talking to you about for the last ten minutes," she replied. "Weren't you listening?"

"Well, yeah. Sort of," he added. Peyton then sighed.

"No, you weren't," she concluded with a frown. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Nathan, you've been acting weird ever since practice."

"No, I haven't," Nathan denied.

"Uh, yes you have. You were a total hard ass on the team," Peyton pointed out.

"Because they were slacking off."

"So? You didn't have to be so mean."

"Peyton, they're college ball players. They don't need to be coddled," he retorted with a slight edge in his voice.

"I'm just saying…"

"Well, stop, ok? You don't even know what the hell you're talking about," Nathan snapped.

"Jeez, what the hell is up your ass?" Peyton bit back. When he didn't say anything, she just shook her head and started to walk quickly ahead of him. "Fine. Whatever."

"Shit," Nathan cursed while trying to catch up to her. _Could I have been anymore of a dick?_ He didn't mean to be a jerk. It had sort of just slipped out. And now he had pissed her off.

"Peyton, wait up," he called. She just kept walking. "Come on, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"It sure sounded like you did."

"I'm just in a weird mood, ok?" he excused while catching her arm and turning her around to face him. "I'm sorry." Peyton looked at him for a minute or so with a contemplating expression.

"I'll forgive you if you take me to that art exhibit," she stated with her arms crossed.

"Sure, fine. We'll go to the art exhibit," Nathan promised. "When was it again?"

"Tomorrow night," she answered. Nathan felt the dread build within him at that. He couldn't make it. She was really going to be pissed.

"Is it just tomorrow night or…"

"Yeah, there's only one showing," Peyton said. _Yup, I'm screwed._

"I can't go," Nathan stated uneasily.

"Why not?

"Because I have a big statistics test the next day, and I have to study," he answered.

"So why can't you study beforehand?" she pointed out.

"I would, but I have classes for most of the day and then practice with the team. Tomorrow night is the only time I have."

"Well, why can't you look over everything tonight?" Peyton proposed.

"I have to finish my homework for tomorrow's classes," Nathan explained. _Oh yeah, she looks mad_, he noted.

"Come on, Nathan, I'm sure you could squeeze in a quick study session if you really wanted to," she declared incredulously. Nathan really wished that he could, but there was no way he'd pass that test without thoroughly preparing for it. He already didn't get the material and got a D on his last quiz. He was literally going to need all the time he could get to look over everything and try to remotely understand it.

"Peyton, I'm really sorry…"

"You know what? It's fine. I'll just go by myself," she proclaimed before whipping around and starting to walk away again.

"Peyton," he called frustrated.

"I'll talk to you later," she replied curtly without a second glance and kept on going. Nathan didn't even bother going after her again. He just ran a hand roughly through his hair.

"Whatever," he mumbled to himself and made his way to his own dorm.

* * *

"Hello?" 

"Chase Adams, you are lucky that I'm on the other side of the country right now!" Haley exclaimed into her cell phone. She was now in her dorm room that evening pacing back and forth. She'd had to do some major damage control earlier in the gym. Haley had practically begged Solaris and the others to not say anything about Chase to anyone else. The basketball team she wasn't really worried about. Matt and Taylor didn't hang out with many of those guys. It was only Tim and Lucas she was concerned with now. She could just picture one of them asking her siblings about who had sent Haley the flowers. As soon as they did that, it'd be all over. She didn't want anything getting back to Matt and Taylor. Well, mostly Matt. Taylor wasn't as bad. If anything, her sister would probably be mad that Haley hadn't spilled her guts to her about Chase.

"I take it you got my surprise," he concluded laughing.

"Yes."

"Did you like them?"

"They were beautiful, but that's not the point," Haley declared. "Chase, you could've screwed everything up!"

"How? I only sent you flowers," he replied.

"I know, but you did it in front of everyone. If my brother finds out, he's going to flip. And trust me, the distance will not stop him from hunting you down like a dog," she warned.

"Haley, relax," Chase said. "I can handle it."

"You don't know my brother," she muttered.

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you. That wasn't my intention. I was just trying to help out with Operation Torture," he explained.

"Operation Torture?" she questioned with a sinking feeling.

"Yeah, Brooke told me all about Nathan looking at you during cheerleading practice and stuff."

"He doesn't look at me," Haley denied. _Does he?_ It's not like she'd taken notice. She was usually too busy trying to concentrate on getting the routines memorized. But leave it to her best friend to notice things like that and most likely blow them out of proportion. She'd have to have a little chat with Brooke when she got back from hanging out with Lucas.

"That's not what Brooke seems to think," Chase replied. "Anyway, I figured it'd be a nice gesture to send flowers and let him know what a great girl he's missing."

"Chase…" Haley trailed off as she felt her anger start to dissipate at his words. Now how the hell was she going to be mad at him?

"I'm sorry," he apologized. Haley let out a small sigh.

"No, look, I'm sorry," Haley responded after she took a few seconds to calm down and take a deep breath. "I overreacted. Thank you for the flowers. I really loved them."

"But I still probably got you in trouble with your brother," Chase pointed out.

"I'll deal with him," she said in the most reassuring voice she could muster. Just then, her phone started to beep—signaling another incoming call. "Crap."

"What?"

"Chase, can you hold on a sec?" she requested. "Someone else is calling me." _It's probably one of my siblings ready to chew me out_, she thought with dread.

"Sure." Haley then looked down at the caller ID. She was surprised to see Nathan's name flash across the screen. Afterward, she quickly pushed the button to accept his call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Haley. It's Nathan," he said.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um, nothing much. I just needed to talk to you. That is, if you're not busy or anything," he added.

"No, that's fine," Haley replied as she made her way over to her bed to take a seat. "So, um, what's going on?"

"Well, um, I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow night," he said. It was stupid, but Haley felt an involuntary pang in her stomach at his words. Isn't that what people usually say before they ask someone out? _Get grip, Haley_, she scolded herself. _He has a girlfriend. And you have a boyfriend…well, sort of. _Her imagination was definitely jumping the gun at the moment.

"I don't think so," she answered casually. "Why?"

"Ok, I kind of feel weird asking, since I'm sure you have your own work to do. But I was sort of hoping that maybe you could help me study for my statistics exam," he stated.

"Oh," Haley commented somewhat relieved. _I knew I was exaggerating_. "You're still having trouble in that class?"

"I guess you could say that," he muttered. "We had a quiz about a week ago, and I didn't do so well."

"What did you get?" Haley questioned.

"I got a D," he revealed. It was very covert, but Haley could hear the undertone of disappointment in his voice.

"Was it on the stuff I already went over with you or…"

"Some of it was. I got those few problems right. But all of the new material we learned after that I had no clue about. My professor sucks at explaining things, and the book is just confusing," Nathan told her. "Do you think that you could go over some of this stuff with me?"

"Yeah, sure. I can do that," Haley said.

"You don't mind?" he asked making sure.

"Of course not. Nathan, I told you to call me anytime if you had anymore trouble," she reminded him. "I'm actually tutoring someone around four thirty in the Academic Enhancement Center. If you want to stop in around five fifteen, I could see you then."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Nathan replied.

"Just make sure to bring your book, notes, and any other work your professor gave you—especially that quiz. We can review that, too, and see what you did wrong."

"Sounds like a good plan," he declared. "Thanks a lot, Haley. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," she responded. "And I'm on the third floor in room 311. Just take the stairwell to the left as soon as you come in, and it'll lead you right to it."

"Alright, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow," Nathan said.

"Bye," Haley replied before shutting her phone. "Oh crap!" she muttered when she realized that Chase was still on the other line.

"Chase, are you still there?" she questioned after opening it again and pressing it to her ear.

"I didn't realize a second actually meant several minutes," he joked.

"I'm sorry. Something came up."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine. So what were we talking about before?" Haley asked.

"Your brother possibly finding out about our pseudo-relationship, getting pissed off, and hunting me down like a dog," he filled in.

"Oh yeah," Haley muttered. "That's going to suck…"

* * *

"I suck," Nathan declared as he ran a hand through his hair. _Damn word problems!_ He never could understand them. He and Haley had been going over the material for his class for the last hour and a half. For the most part, Haley was able to explain things in a way that he could understand. It was just this one last section that he was still having a problem with. 

"No, you don't," Haley objected. "Try it again. You almost have it." Nathan sighed before attempting to solve the problem again.

"Is that it?" he asked once he'd finished. Haley took the paper and looked it over.

"Yup," she confirmed. "Good work."

"It only took me forever to figure it out."

"So? All that matters is you got it," Haley encouraged. "Let's just go over that quiz, and then we'll be done."

"Alright," Nathan agreed as Haley slid her chair so that it was right next to him. She placed his quiz between them on the table and had him point out what he did wrong on each question. Afterward, he solved them to get the correct answers. Every once in a while, Haley would make a comment to guide him in the right direction. Nathan was thankful that she was so patient, because there had certainly been a few times when he was ready to just give up. But she didn't yell or snap at him when he got like that. She simply went over the material again and again until it finally sunk in.

"How's that?" Nathan questioned when he was done redoing the quiz. Haley checked it over before a beaming smile formed on her face.

"All right," she declared. "I think you're going to do really well tomorrow."

"If I do, it was all you," he remarked.

"Eh, I just showed you the way," Haley stated modestly as she started to gather everything together. Nathan soon followed suit. She then looked at her watch. It was now seven thirty, and she was officially starving. She hadn't eaten anything since twelve o'clock that afternoon. Her body was most definitely in need of some food. A second later, her stomach seemed to agree with her as it growled loudly. _Oh God, please let Nathan not have heard that_, Haley prayed.

"Hungry?" Nathan questioned with a smirk. _Damn_.

"Maybe just a little," she admitted slightly embarrassed. She could feel the blush forming on her face.

"Well, I'm starving. Did you want to go get something to eat?" Nathan proposed.

"Where?"

"There's this really great Chinese restaurant just off campus," he replied. "They have the best egg rolls I've ever tasted in my life."

"That does sound appetizing," Haley laughed. She felt her stomach grumble again—which, unfortunately, was very audible.

"I can tell," Nathan teased.

"Shut up!" Haley exclaimed while mock glaring at him. Nathan's smirk only widened.

"Come on, we can take my car," he said as he zipped up his backpack and put it on.

"And where is your car?"

"In the parking lot next to my dorm." Haley nodded as she followed Nathan. A minute later, they were outside and making their way across campus. It was almost completely dark out—causing Haley to stay close to Nathan.

"Scared, Baby James?" he questioned with a cheeky grin.

"No. Just cautious. And must you always call me that?" Haley asked. "I'm not a baby."

"Well, you are afraid of the dark," Nathan pointed out.

"So? I think my 'sudden' development of breasts, curves, and legs pretty much trumps that," she poked fun at him with a witty smile of her own. Nathan groaned.

"I knew telling you that would come back to bite me in the ass someday," he muttered while shaking his head. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope," Haley laughed.

"Well, I'm still going to call you Baby James," Nathan declared stubbornly.

"Well, what if I don't like it?" she challenged playfully.

"Well, I do. So tough," he retorted with a smirk.

"You're an ass," Haley giggled.

"All part of my charm," he said with a sexy smile and shrug. Haley just rolled her eyes as they continued to joke around the rest of the way. It was ten minutes later when they arrived at the restaurant and were seated in one of the booths in the back across from each other.

"So what do you think?" Nathan asked. "It's nice, huh?"

"Yeah," Haley agreed as she looked around. Red paper lanterns hung around the room as well as lit up portraits of different places in China. It was all very pretty.

"I think I already know what I'm getting," Nathan declared as he glanced over his menu. Haley picked up hers and proceeded to read over her options.

"Me, too," Haley announced after a couple of minutes. It was then that their waitress came to take their orders. Afterward, the two continued to talk casually about school and other random things. Nathan was glad that he'd suggested they go to dinner. It was a great way to unwind after such an intense study session.

"Ooh," Haley commented as she gazed down at the placemat in front of her.

"What?"

"It's the Chinese zodiac," she said. "You find which year you were born, and that's what type of animal you are."

"Why would I want to be an animal?" Nathan questioned confused.

"They don't mean physically," Haley laughed. "Each one stands for different things. In fact, let's see which one I am." She searched through the dates until she found her birth year. "Ok, I'm a Horse."

Haley then proceeded to read, "'The capacity for the Horse's hard work is amazing. Horses are their own people—very independent. While intelligent and friendly, they have a strong streak of selfishness and cunning and should guard against being egotistical. Usually lively and popular, they are mentally alert and good with words. Although they enjoy a good challenge and are prepared to devote themselves to success, they have no qualms with running in the opposite direction if they consider their role 'beneath them.' Horses rarely worry about settling down. Good companions and leaders, they can have fits of stubbornness or explosive temper tantrums. They fall in love blindly—when in love horses tend to lose their head, and are liable to make mistakes before finding the right partner.'"

"Oh yeah, that's you," Nathan chuckled.

"Exactly which parts?" Haley questioned while folding her arms.

"All of it. But mostly the stubbornness and explosive temper."

"That is not me," she defended.

"Yeah, it is."

"Is not."

"Haley, you're being stubborn right now," Nathan pointed out laughing. Haley felt her face flush when she realized that he was right.

"Oh yeah, well, what are you?" she challenged.

"And there's that temper," he smirked. Haley stuck her tongue out playfully at him. Nathan chuckled before looking down at his own placemat.

"Let's see…I'm a Dragon," he replied.

"'Full of vitality and enthusiasm, Dragons are popular individuals, despite being seen as foolhardy or 'big-mouthed' at times," Haley laughed as she read. Nathan just rolled his eyes when she gave him a pointed look and urged her to keep going. "They are intelligent, gifted perfectionists that are demanding of others. Their intolerance usually causes a stir, but Dragons enjoy attracting attention, and prefer demanding situations to everyday routines. To Dragons, rules and regulations are made only for others. They live, act, and think big, but their pride and self-confidence can prevent them from accepting help when they need it the most. Self-reliant and sufficient, they can survive without close relationships, but are energized with companions that share their wavelength.'"

"What the hell is 'share their wavelength' supposed to mean?" Nathan mumbled.

"I guess it means there are certain people you naturally click with," Haley guessed. "And what do you know? Your little blurb sounds just like you, too."

"Not completely."

"I beg to differ."

"Really?" How so?" Nathan prodded as he folded his arms.

"You totally love attention—especially from the ladies," she said.

"What man doesn't?" he defended.

"And you were very demanding of the basketball team again today."

"They needed to get it together."

"You were a little hesitant about asking me for help studying," Haley declared. "Which, by the way, you can do anytime."

"I thought you might've been busy."

"You certainly avoid following the rules whenever you can," Haley continued.

"Rules are overrated," he smirked.

"And you're very self-reliant and reserved when it comes to opening up to people."

"I am not," he objected.

"Nathan, I know you. You totally have the tendency to keep things to yourself and deal with it on your own."

"Like when?" Nathan questioned. Although, he already knew that she was right. He did have the tendency to keep things inside.

"When you had your knee injury, for example. I know that your mom, Lucas, Taylor, and Matt all tried talking to you. But you never really acknowledged it. You just kept to yourself and eventually put it behind you." Nathan stared at Haley intently.

"You noticed that about me?" he asked quietly. He didn't know whether he was more impressed or unnerved that she could read him so well. Because when he had his injury, that's exactly what he'd done. He closed himself off, dealt with the anger and disappointment of never being able to play professional ball again, and tried to move on. Not once had he really confided in anyone. Everyone else talked, and he just listened.

"Well, we Horses are 'mentally alert,'" Haley joked trying to lighten the mood. But Nathan's eyes remained locked with hers—a serious expression marring his features.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?" she questioned back uneasily.

"Yours said at the end that you make mistakes before finding the right partner," he said. "You really think that Chase is the guy for you?" Haley opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She hadn't expected their conversation to take this kind of turn. In fact, she wasn't even sure how to answer.

"Here you go," the waitress interrupted a second later. They both quickly snapped out of their intense staring contest and looked up at her surprised. However, it was then that Haley felt relief spread throughout her entire body. Whatever the previous moment was, it was now over.

For the rest of the time, they ate while trying to keep the conversation light. But it didn't escape Haley that there still seemed to be an awkwardness between them. It was a little while later that they left the restaurant and drove back to Haley's dorm. Silence descended upon them as they both tried to come up with something sufficient to say.

"Thank you for driving me back," Haley spoke up first. "And for dinner." She'd wanted to split the bill, but Nathan had been stubborn and insisted on paying.

"You're welcome. But I should really be thanking you since you spent all that time helping me."

"You know, I could tutor you regularly if you want," Haley offered. Nathan's class was tough, and there was no doubt in her mind that the work would only get harder.

"Do you have the time?" Nathan asked—seriously thinking about taking her up on her offer. He was going to need all the help he could get to survive that class.

"Yeah. We could meet up on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time like today. I can even do Saturdays or Sundays just in case you need extra help with the weekend homework," she informed him.

"Actually, that'd be really good. Thanks, Haley." She nodded while giving him a small smile. Afterward, she looked toward her dorm before facing him again.

"I better go," she said.

"Alright." Haley then reached for the door and started to open it when she suddenly felt Nathan's hand on her arm, halting her.

"Haley, about what I said earlier…" he began.

"Nathan, don't worry about it," she tried to dismiss.

"I just want you to be careful with Chase," he reinforced. "We all really care about you and would never want to see you hurt." Haley nodded silently in response. She knew that he was referring to the group. But for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that his words were somehow more personal. The fact that Nathan's thumb was caressing her arm only seemed to heighten it further. Haley instantly felt her face get hot. _I really need to go_, she thought.

"Goodnight, Nathan," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Hales," he replied. Haley didn't know if it was how he said her name or how his hand had slowly run down her arm before letting go completely that made a shiver shoot up her spine. Haley gave him one last timid smile and made her way out of the car. She was thankful for the cool air on her face as she walked to the door of her dorm building. She could practically feel Nathan's eyes still on her. But then again, he did always wait until she was safely inside before leaving. Haley pulled out her ID card with slightly shaking hands and swiped it through the lock. Afterward, she entered the building, leaned up against the closed door, and let out a frustrated sigh. Trying to remain unaffected by Nathan Scott was turning out a lot harder than she thought it was going to be.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone, thank you all for the reviews last chapter. I don't know about you guys, but I really liked last night's episode. I was so happy to see Naley moments even if they were fantasies, flashbacks, and tragic situations. This next chapter is almost all Naley. One of the reviewers actually guessed what I had planned for this chapter so kudos to that person. I hope you guys like it, because it's going to lead to some major things coming up. Anyway, please read and review! Thanks!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"What about this one?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know. It's too…" Haley trailed off with a frown. 

"Hott," Brooke supplied.

"No."

"Fun."

"No."

"Intriguing."

"Definitely not," Haley stated. "It's trashy."

"Tutor Girl, this costume is a classic."

"Tigger, I'm not going as a sexy nurse."

"Haley, it's Halloween. You just go as a sexy whatever." 

"I don't care. There is no way in hell you are getting me in that costume," Haley declared. 

"Cheery, just let her do what she wants," Lucas spoke up. "Besides, if she goes in something like that, I'm going to have to spend the whole night beating up all of the creeps drooling over her." 

"So? At least she'll look hott."

"Yeah, but then we won't have any time to ourselves," he stated before leaning in to give her an affectionate kiss on the lips. 

"Well, you do have a point there," Brooke agreed before pulling him back down to her. Haley laughed before making mock gagging noises. 

"Uh, guys, can we please focus here?" Haley questioned the couple in a teasing tone. Ever since Lucas finally worked up the nerve to ask Brooke out two weeks ago, the two had been inseparable and disgustingly sweet and affectionate with one another. Haley was really happy for them. Lord knows they'd been dancing around each other long enough. But despite that, there was only so much PDA she could take in one day. 

The gang was planning on going to a club called Tric for Halloween next week. It wasn't that far from campus, and everyone who attended was supposed to dress up in some kind of costume. Brooke and Lucas had already picked out theirs. Haley's search, however, was proving to be more difficult. She needed some help from her friends, but they weren't really getting anywhere with all the face sucking going on every five minutes. 

"Sorry, Tutor Girl," Brooke said once she and Lucas broke apart. "He's just so adorable when he talks like that."

"I have my moments," Lucas quipped. 

"Down boy," Haley joked while giving him a light whack on the arm. "You're being more of a distraction than anything. I don't have much time before I have to leave, so let's just find me a costume already."

"Why? Where are you going?" Brooke asked confused.

"I have a tutoring session with Nathan. Remember?"

"That does sound vaguely familiar," she admitted. 

"Ok, we promise to behave," Lucas said as he put his arm around Haley's shoulders. "What else did you want to look at?" 

"I don't know. I want something cute. But not trashy," Haley quickly added when she saw Brooke about to suggest something. 

"You're no fun. Didn't you see Mean Girls?" Brooke inquired. "Halloween is the one night a year we can get away with looking like sluts. What girl wouldn't take advantage of that?" Haley gave Lucas a pleading look. 

"Well, I'm not sure that Chase would approve," Lucas said catching on. 

"Me either," Haley quickly agreed. At least he was on her side. It had been about a month since Haley first told Lucas about Chase. Just like she'd predicted, he'd been curious about who had sent her the flowers. Not wanting to make up another lie, Haley just told him the story she'd fed to Nathan and Peyton. However, she did feel guiltier about not telling him the actual truth. Lucas was one of her best friends, after all. But then she'd have to explain why she needed a pretend boyfriend and everything that had happened with Nathan, and that was not something she wanted to get into.

Luckily, Lucas seemed to understand why she had kept Chase a secret and promised not to tell Matt or Taylor. He ended up telling Tim, though, since he, too, had started to ask questions. But Tim also promised to keep his mouth shut and had done a very good job thus far. The two had even talked to Chase on the phone a couple of times. They weren't as bad as Matt, but they wanted to make sure that Chase was at least a good guy and treated her right. He must've passed the test or something, since neither one had anything negative to say about him afterward. 

"Oh come on, you know that Chase isn't like that. He wouldn't care," Brooke argued while giving her a pointed look.

"Whatever," Haley replied. "Let's just keep searching." About ten minutes later, Haley was in the dressing room trying on a handful of costumes that she'd picked out. The first three looked absolutely ridiculous—which neither Brooke nor Lucas hesitated to tell her. The fourth one, which she didn't mind so much, ended up having a rip in it. And the last one turned out to be too big. 

"That's it," Haley declared from inside that stall. "There aren't anymore."

"Wait, try this one," Brooke said while knocking on the door. Haley opened it just enough to look at her friend.

"Are you serious?" Haley questioned as she eyed the costume in Brooke's hand.

"Yes. Just try it," Brooke encouraged. "You'll look hott but totally adorable at the same time. It's perfect." Haley sighed before finally grabbing it and shutting the door again. It took a couple of minutes before she had the entire outfit on. She then stared at herself in the mirror and smiled. Brooke was right. This was the perfect costume.

"Well, how does it look?" Brooke asked. Haley opened the door and came out to show her. "Oh my God, I'm a genius! It's fabulous! Come on, let's show Luke." 

"Broody, what do you think?" Brooke inquired once they'd made their way into the waiting area just outside the dressing room.

"Wow, that looks great," he complimented. "I'm still going to have to beat the guys away with a stick, but it's definitely not bad." 

"Good. I'm getting it," Haley proclaimed. She then checked her watch and cursed when she saw what time it was. 

"What's the matter?" Lucas asked concerned. 

"I'm already ten minutes late for my tutoring session with Nathan." 

"Well, just hurry up and change, buy the costume, and we'll hightail it over there." Haley nodded before running back into the dressing room. It was another ten minutes before they made it out of the store and into Lucas' truck. Seven minutes after that was when they finally pulled up in front of the Academic Enhancement Center. 

"Brooke, can you just bring my costume back to the dorm with you?" Haley asked as she quickly grabbed her purse and got out of the truck.

"Sure. Don't worry about it. Just go," Brooke urged. 

"Thanks!" Haley called as she hurriedly ran into the building. She took the stairs two at a time, sprinted to the room she usually met Nathan in, and burst through the door. 

"I am so sorry!" Haley apologized out of breath. "I completely lost track of time and got here as fast as I…" she trailed off when she took in the sight before her. Nathan was already there, but he wasn't alone. Peyton was standing next to him. Her arms were crossed as she stared down at the ground. Nathan was looking at her with a concerned expression, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Haley continued to stare between the two unsure of what to do. Just based on their rigid body language and the eerie silence in the room, Haley could tell that she'd walked in on something. 

"Um…sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Haley stated. _Ok, this is weird¸_ she thought when neither one said anything. She then gestured towards the door. "I'll, uh, just give you a minute." Haley was about to turn around and leave when Peyton stopped her.

"No, that's ok," she said while finally looking up. It was then that Haley saw her red, puffy eyes. _Has she been crying?_ "I'm leaving."

"Are you sure?" Haley inquired. Peyton glanced over at Nathan briefly before nodding.

"Yeah, we're finished," she declared before giving Haley a forced smile and quickly walking out the door. Haley stared after her with a confused expression on her face. Afterward, she faced Nathan. 

"Is everything alright?" she asked him. 

"Uh, yeah," he responded as he took a seat at their usual table. He gave her a small smile, but Haley could tell that it was just as strained as Peyton's. She wanted to question him further, but decided against it. It really wasn't any of her business what was going on with Nathan and Peyton. She knew that they'd been having some problems over the last several weeks, but she'd only heard what Nathan was willing to disclose. And right now, it was easy to see that he wasn't in a very talkative mood. 

"So, um, were you waiting long?" Haley inquired trying to change the subject. She took her seat and started to organize the material they were going to review. 

"Not really," Nathan commented. Haley nodded as she looked over the worksheet he'd been assigned for homework.

"You're learning about Applied Information Economics this week, right?"

"Yeah." 

"Ok, lets start with this theory stuff first," Haley instructed. They followed their usual routine. Haley would first explain the concepts and do an example for Nathan to follow. Afterward, he would try a practice problem of his own before finally doing his worksheet for class. Usually, they would talk and joke around to kind of lighten the mood, since statistics wasn't exactly the most exciting subject to study. But there wasn't any of that tonight. Nathan remained relatively quiet except for the occasional question about a problem. Other than that, and Haley guiding him along, they were completely silent. 

"How did I do?" Nathan asked as Haley checked over the paper. 

"Very well," she complimented while handing it back to him. "I think that's it for tonight." The pair then started to gather their things together to get ready to leave. 

"So, um, I guess I'll see you on Saturday," Haley said after she was done and stood up.

"We're not going out to dinner?" Nathan questioned curiously. Ever since they'd gone to the Chinese restaurant last month, the two had made it a ritual every Thursday night to go out and eat together after tutoring. Sometimes they'd get pizza and other times it was burgers. They usually liked to switch it up. It was a great opportunity for them to unwind and catch up on the events of their week. Haley often looked forward to it. 

"You still want to go?" 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" he asked confused.

"Oh, well, I just figured…I mean after everything with…I just thought that maybe you weren't up to it," she finally got out. 

"Hales, I'm fine," Nathan stated while giving her a reassuring smile. "Come on." She then followed him out of the building and across campus to his car. 

"It's your choice tonight. Where did you want to go?" Haley questioned making conversation. 

"I was thinking Karen's Café," he answered. Haley immediately felt the grin form on her face at that. "How does that sound?"

"Perfect," she beamed. Haley really missed that place. She'd only been there once since she returned from Los Angeles. And that had been two weeks ago when she went home for the weekend to visit her parents. 

"I figured you'd like it," Nathan commented with a charming smirk. Haley nudged him playfully and was relieved to see that he was starting to revert back to his normal self. It was another fifteen minutes before they arrived at the café. Haley felt a wave of nostalgia as they entered, and the little bell above the door jingled. She looked around and instantly spotted Karen waiting on a couple of customers. Haley then gave a small wave once the older woman looked up. 

"Hales, over here," Nathan directed as he walked towards a table near the wall to the left. Haley glanced back at Karen and pointed to where she and Nathan would be sitting. Karen nodded back in understanding. It took a couple of minutes before she finally made her way through the madness of the busy restaurant to their table. 

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you kids tonight," Karen said. 

"Well, it was sort of a spur of the moment type thing," Nathan answered. "Is my mom working tonight?"

"No, she was here earlier," she stated before pulling out her ordering pad. "So, do you guys want what you usually get or something else?" 

"No, the usual is fine," Haley answered. Nathan nodded in agreement.

"Alright, it'll be out soon," Karen promised before heading off to the kitchen. 

"Can't resist that good old mac and cheese, huh?" Nathan teased. 

"Definitely not. Plus, the one at school sucks," Haley said with a shudder. "It's always too much mac and never enough cheese."

"Oh, the horror," Nathan mocked. 

"Quiet, Scott, before I get violent."

"It's never stopped you before." 

"Good point," Haley said before reaching across the table and giving his arm a light whack. 

"You know, I'm starting to find that my day is never truly complete until you beat me up," he smirked.

"I try," she joked with a casual shrug. Nathan could feel his mood automatically brighten as he and Haley engaged in their normal banter. He'd had a rough day so far, and everything that had just happened with Peyton seemed to add to it. But sitting here with Haley, it all began to fade away into the background. In fact, that's how it often felt with her. Haley was fun and witty and knew just how to keep him on his toes. She was also very easy to talk to and happened to be a great listener, as well. Nathan enjoyed their tutoring sessions and dinners together. They'd developed a closeness and sense of ease around one another over the last month. He really valued their friendship and knew that if everything else around him went to Hell, she was someone that he could always depend on. 

"...so they were making out which made the whole process even longer and…"

"Who was making out?" Nathan asked her mid-ramble. 

"Lucas and Brooke. Didn't I say that?"

"Not that I know of."

"Oh. Well, anyway, I was trying to find a costume for Halloween next week. But they kept sucking face and…"

"Again?" Nathan laughed. Ever since Brooke and Lucas had hooked up, he'd caught them at least three times in very heated make out sessions on Lucas' bed. He was pretty sure that if it hadn't been for his interruptions, that goofy grin that was permanently plastered on his brother's face lately would've been even wider. "They're such horn dogs."

"Tell me about it," Haley replied. "But I was trying to pick a costume and…"

"What kind of costume?" 

"Jeez, Nathan, will you stop interrupting me?" she teased. 

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"Well, that's not important. I'm trying to explain why I was late for our session."

"Hales, I don't care that you were late. I would, however, like to hear about this costume of yours."

"I'm sorry, but I can't reveal that information at the moment." 

"What?" he smirked. "Why not?"

"Because it's a surprise."

"Ok, now I really want to know," Nathan stated as he leaned forward on the table so that he was closer to her. 

"I'm not telling you."

"Then I'll just guess." 

"Go ahead, but you'll never get it," Haley informed him.

"We'll see about that," he declared. 

"This is going to be interesting," she commented before sitting back in her chair and folding her arms.

"Let's see…a sexy cop?"

"No."

"Sexy nun?"

"No"

"Sexy bunny?"

"Nope."

"Sexy vampire?"

"No.

"Sexy nurse?"

"No, although Brooke did try," she added. Nathan quirked an eyebrow at that before continuing. 

"Sexy French maid?"

"Nathan, I'm starting to notice a pattern here," Haley laughed. "Who says my costume is going to be sexy?" 

"Haley, it's Halloween. It's the one night a year you can look like a slut and get away with it." 

"Ok, you and everyone else really need to lay off of the Mean Girls," Haley proclaimed.

"I've got it!" Nathan exclaimed ignoring her previous statement. "A stripper."

"Nathan!" Haley gasped before giving him a hard whack on the arm.

"Ow! What? It'd be hott," he declared with a sexy smirk—which only got wider as he saw the deep blush form on her face. He really loved watching her get all flustered. 

"I am going to pretend that you did not just say that," Haley told him as she saw Karen approach them with their food.

"Pretend away," Nathan quipped. Haley just rolled her eyes at him. He was such an instigator. But deep down, she couldn't deny that she secretly loved it. It certainly made things more interesting. 

"Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else," Karen said as she placed their meals in front of them. 

"Thank you," they responded before digging in. 

"So, what are you going to be?" Haley asked after taking a bite of her mac and cheese. She had to suppress a moan of satisfaction it tasted so good. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent meal. 

"Batman."

"That's cool," she replied.

"Ooh, are you going to be Catwoman? That'd be hott, too." 

"No," Haley denied with a laugh. "And isn't that what Peyton is going to be?" As soon as the words left her mouth and she saw Nathan's face drop, Haley wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up under her and swallow her whole. _Good one, Haley,_ she thought sarcastically. _He's finally acting like himself, and you have to bring up the one thing that was bothering him in the first place!_

"Actually, she's supposed to be Poison Ivy. Peyton thinks that the super villains are grossly underappreciated at times," he muttered while playing with a fry in his plate. 

"Nathan, I am so sorry," Haley apologized. "I wasn't thinking." 

"It's ok, Hales. Don't worry about it." 

"Are you sure?" she inquired. 

"Yeah," Nathan said with a nod before he resumed eating. Like before, he was completely silent and seemed to be deep in thought about something. 

"You're awfully quiet," Haley pointed out after a couple of minutes. "Just like during tutoring."

"Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind," he said.

"Well, you know you can always talk to me, right? About anything," she added while placing a comforting hand over his. It wasn't long before he felt his skin tingling from her soft touch. It still felt that way even after she removed her hand from his. Nathan then looked up to see Haley's deep brown eyes staring at him with concern. And before he knew it, the words had just popped out of his mouth.

"Peyton and I are going to break up."

"What?" Haley coughed as she tried not to choke on the large bite of mac and cheese she just shoved in her mouth. "Are you serious?" she asked once she'd finally swallowed and took a sip of water. She really did not see that one coming. Nathan nodded before sighing.

"It's just…it's not working out," he stated. "You know how I told you about all those stupid fights we've been having?" Haley nodded in response. "Well, they've just been getting worse. And then with our schedules clashing all of the time, it's been really hard." 

"So, um, do you want to break up with her or does she…"

"I suggested it," Nathan answered. He felt really bad about it—especially when Peyton had started crying. It wasn't that he didn't like her as a person. She could be pretty cool at times. He just wasn't sure that her as his girlfriend was the best situation anymore. Their relationship seemed to take a volatile turn, and Nathan didn't know how much more he could put up with. In the beginning, their fights were usually mild and didn't last long. As the weeks passed, however, that started to change. Heated words would fly and their little spats would go on for days. Eventually, their disagreements evolved into full-on screaming matches. Nathan was really starting to feel bad for Gigi, since she was the one who had to live with Peyton when she was in a pissed off mood afterward.

But the fights and schedule conflictions weren't the only reasons why Nathan thought they should split up. He could also feel him and Peyton drifting apart. She was busy with art and music projects while he focused on tutoring and basketball. They never just talked anymore. Even when they did, it wasn't like their conversations were serious or deep. They were just general things. He couldn't talk about half the stuff with her that he did with Haley. And if Nathan was being truly honest with himself, he knew that the bond developing between him and the petite brunette across from him was much stronger than his and Peyton's. 

There was something with Haley. No matter how much he'd tried to deny it or look at it from different angles over the last month, he felt it whenever he was around her. A spark, chemistry, attraction…they were all present. And if that wasn't enough, the dreams he'd had about her all summer had started up again. She was completely invading his senses, and there was no way to stop it. 

Nathan wasn't naïve, though. He knew that Haley was taken. She was still dating Chase. And from what he'd heard, things were going well between them. Lucas and Tim had even given him the stamp of approval—much to his annoyance. But even though Nathan didn't expect anything to happen with Haley, he didn't want to keep leading Peyton on. It wasn't fair to either of them if his head and heart weren't feeling the relationship. 

"Oh," Haley commented. "Is that what Peyton wants, too?"

"I don't really know," he answered truthfully. "The conversation didn't get that far." 

"So, what are you going to do now?" she asked. Nathan shrugged.

"Peyton and I are going to have to talk again and figure things out. Other than that, I'll probably just focus on school, basketball, and my friends." 

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yup," Nathan agreed. "So, what about you? Anything new or exciting going on in your life?" Haley shifted in her seat—a little surprised by the subject change. But she could tell that Nathan didn't really feel like talking about his drama with Peyton anymore. So she let it go. 

"Um, Solaris told me the other day that I have one of the best high kicks she's ever seen," Haley said jokingly. 

"Really?" Nathan questioned with an amused smile. 

"Uh huh."

"Well, that's quite the accomplishment." Haley narrowed her eyes at him playfully when she heard his tone.

"Are you mocking me, Scott?"

"Who? Me? Never," he replied. But the smirk on his face totally gave it away. 

"Yes, you are. Don't think that I don't know that look."

"What look?"

"That look," she reinforced.

"I don't have a look."

"Yes, you do. That's your shit-stirring look." 

"Shit stirring?" Nathan busted out laughing. "I don't even know what that is. In fact, I'm not even sure I want to find out."

"It means that you are a troublemaker who likes to annoy me," Haley explained matter-of-factly. She then pointed to his face. "See, you're doing it again."

"I am doing no such thing," Nathan denied as he suppressed another smile. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but it's not like he'd ever admit it. 

"Whatever, I know I'm right," she declared with a cheeky smile. Nathan just shook his head at her before taking a large bite of his burger. "By the way, when is the team going to start playing better so I can put my awesome high kick to good use?

"Now who's shit stirring?" Nathan accused teasingly. "That was a low blow, Baby James."

"I'm just saying. You guys lost the first game of the season. It kind of puts a damper on cheerleading."

"Don't remind me," Nathan muttered. He was still reeling from that game last week. Whitey and Lucas had been pissed, too. Once again, Quentin and his damn temper/ego had set them back. 

"I thought that Whitey was going to have a coronary when Quentin got that foul," Haley commented. They were cheering at the other end of the gym, but she could still make out Whitey's red face and hear him yelling.

"I was, too," Nathan sighed. 

"Have you ever thought of maybe replacing Quentin?" Haley proposed. 

"A thousand times," he answered. 

"Then why haven't you…"

"The kid may be an ass, but he's also the best we've got. We haven't found anyone else who even comes close to his abilities."

"I guess I can see why that'd be a problem," Haley commented. 

"It is what it is," Nathan replied with a shrug. He then reached across the table and took Haley's hand in his. "But thanks for trying to help." Haley nodded as she tried to get her senses under control. His thumb was rubbing small circles on the back of her hand, making her skin tingle and heat up. It wasn't the first time he'd touched her like this, but that never seemed to stop her body from having such a reaction. 

"You're welcome," she responded softly. Nathan gave her one of his genuine smiles as he continued to hold her hand. 

"So, now that you know the predicament I'm in, want to make me feel better and tell me what costume you're going to wear?" he questioned nonchalantly.

Haley gave him a sweet smile before replying, "Nice try, but no."

"Damn, Baby James, that's mean," he said while shaking his head.

"I told you that you're going to have to wait and see," she sing songed. She then started to let go of his hand when Nathan interlaced their fingers to keep her grip in his. Instantly, she felt her face flush from the gesture. But that in no way compared to what he said next. 

"Fine. But tell me one thing. Was I at least right about the sexy part?" he questioned with that smirk of his. And if she wasn't mistaken, had his voice suddenly taken on a huskier tone? Regardless, her blush only deepened. 

"Maybe," she divulged.

"Maybe?"

"Possibly," she said offhandedly.

"Really?"

"Ok, it's sexy," Haley finally admitted. "Happy now?" 

"Extremely," Nathan said with a triumphant smile. Haley just rolled her eyes at him. "Now I have something to look forward to." She met his gaze and felt a shiver run up her spine. Was he flirting with her? _Don't be ridiculous. He just semi-broke up with his girlfriend_, she reminded herself. He was probably just joking around with her like he normally did. But then again, that didn't really explain why he still held onto her hand. _Don't do this to yourself, Haley, _she thought. With that in mind, Haley gave him a timid smile before she discreetly pulled her hand away and continued eating. She couldn't let herself get sucked back in again. The more time Haley spent with Nathan the more often she noticed it happening. They had become really great friends. Haley didn't want to jeopardize that or her vow to move on. She had to stay in control and get a firm grip on her emotions. Anything else simply wasn't an option. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, so I busted my butt to get this chapter written for you. Now that MTA is coming to an end I have some more time on my hands. I hope you like it and will continue to leave me reviews. I really liked the ones last chapter. Thank you, enjoy, and Happy Easter!**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Haley took a deep breath before entering her music class that Tuesday morning. She was nervous. But it wasn't because of the test that day or the big project that she had coming up. It was Peyton. Haley had found out from Nathan during their tutoring session on Saturday that the two had talked again and decided to officially end things. But although it was a mutual decision, Haley had learned from Jake that Peyton wasn't taking it so well. They were partners for the big jazz history project due in a couple of weeks, so he got to hang out with her pretty regularly. According to Jake, Peyton was very distant and quiet while they worked. She had also been wearing sweatpants and no makeup a lot. Needless to say, Haley was a little worried. She knew Nathan's side, but Peyton was her friend, too. Haley didn't want to see her hurting.

"Hey, Jake," Haley greeted as she took her usual seat next to him.

"Hey," he replied while keeping his eyes on the doorway.

"What are you looking at?" she questioned curiously.

"Just waiting to see if Peyton shows up," he answered.

"I'm sure she's coming," Haley assured him. "I don't think she'll miss the test." Jake nodded but still kept his eyes locked on the doorway. Haley smiled softly to herself. She'd been kind of wondering lately if Jake had a thing for Peyton. He was always so eager to talk to her, and Haley had caught him staring at her numerous times during class over the last month. It was actually kind of cute how he'd pretend to a have crick in his neck just so he could look in her direction. Haley hoped that once Peyton was feeling better, maybe Jake could make a move, and she'd take a chance on him. He was a sweet guy that any girl would be lucky to have.

A couple of minutes later, just as Haley had predicted, Peyton walked into the classroom. Unfortunately, Jake was right about the whole sweatpants and no makeup thing. Peyton definitely didn't look like her usual stylish and edgy self. Haley and Jake exchanged concerned looks before returning their attention to the somber blonde.

"Hey, guys," Peyton said as she sat down. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Jake replied. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," she answered.

"You sure?" Haley inquired. Peyton smiled at her timidly.

"I'm assuming you heard about Nathan and me splitting up."

"Yeah. How are you holding up?" Haley asked while putting a comforting hand on her arm.

"Um…better. I mean, I saw it coming, but it still sucks. I guess I'm just trying to work through it."

"Well, we're here if you need us," Jake offered. "Anytime."

"Thank you," Peyton replied while giving him a small smile.

"So, are you still going to Tric tomorrow night?" Haley questioned.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Probably not. I think it'd be weird with Nathan being there and all."

"It's Halloween, though," Haley pointed out. "You can't just sit in your room all night alone."

"Don't worry. I'll have Freddie and Jason to keep me company," Peyton tried to joke.

"That's crap," Jake stated. "I'm going to be at Tric. You can hang out with me and Skills for the night."

"Oh, no, that's ok. I don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense. With my luck, Skills will probably spot some floozy within the first five minutes and abandon me," he laughed. "I wouldn't mind having the company."

"Yeah, you should go, Peyton," Haley encouraged. "You deserve a night to relax and have some fun without thinking about guy troubles." She knew from experience that the best way to nurse a broken heart wasn't just to sit in bed all day and cry about it. You had to eventually get out, do your thing, and not let it run your life. "Besides, Tric is a big place. It's not like you'll have to be near Nathan the whole night."

"But I don't even have a costume anymore," Peyton added. "I was supposed to be Poison Ivy to Nathan's Batman, but that's pretty much out."

"Well, I'm picking up my costume rental tonight," Jake stated. "Just come with me. I'm sure they still have some left over." Peyton glanced between the two hesitantly for another second before finally nodding in agreement.

"Ok, I'll go."

"Great," Jake beamed. Haley had to suppress a smile at the excited look on his face. _Oh yeah, he's got it bad_, she mused. But if anyone could help take Peyton's mind off of the break up, it'd be Jake.

"Alright class, everything off of your desks," the professor stated at he entered the room. Haley could hear a few groans in response. A couple of minutes later, the test was passed out. Haley looked over the questions intently. Once she was finished, she rechecked them just to be sure. She then grabbed her things, gave a small wave to Peyton and Jake as she passed them, handed her test to the professor, and left. That was the only perk about test days. You got to leave early if you finished ahead of time.

Haley then started to make her way to the dining hall. She needed to have a quick bite to eat before heading to her next class. She cut across the quad, since it was the fastest way there. But she soon regretted it once she saw the large group of guys playing tag football. They were taking up a large portion of the area, which just so happened to be the direction she was walking in. Haley quickened her pace. That last thing she needed was to pull a Marsha Brady and get a football in the face.

"Heads up!" one of the guys shouted. _Crap, I spoke to soon. _Haley's head turned in the direction of the voice. It all seemed to happen in slow motion as the flying mass of pigskin came hurling towards her. She tried to move out of the way but quickly realized that she was too late. It was already so close. Instinctively, Haley closed her eyes as her arms came up to protect her face. She waited for the impact and prayed to God that it didn't hurt as bad as the time Matt had accidentally whacked her in the head with his basketball.

"Hey, watch where you throw this thing!" an angry male voice reprimanded. Haley's eyes shot open, and she found herself staring at someone's chest. She then looked up to see Nathan's concerned face glancing down at her. "Are you alright?"

"Um, yeah," Haley answered as she looked around confused. "Where's the ball?"

"Right here," Nathan stated before holding it up.

"Wow, nice catch," she mumbled impressed. Was there any kind of sport he didn't suck at?

"Hey, man, sorry. My boy never did have a good aim," a sandy-haired guy said as he approached them.

"Well, maybe your _boy_ shouldn't be the quarterback," Nathan retorted edgily. "You could've hurt her."

"Dude, chill. It was just an accident," the guy replied.

"Whatever. Just use common sense next time and pick a guy who doesn't suck," Nathan said before tossing the ball on the ground.

"Whatever, man," the guy remarked. He then mumbled something under his breath as he went to pick up his ball.

"Excuse me?" Nathan gritted out. "You wanna try saying that to my face?"

"Nathan," Haley warned. His jaw and fists were clenched. It was obvious that his temper was starting to flare.

"I said you don't have to act like such a bitch," the guy declared loudly.

"That's it, punk…" Nathan began to say. Haley could see this quickly escalating as Nathan started to advance. She then moved so that she stood between Nathan and the other guy.

"Nathan, don't," she ordered while putting a hand on his chest.

"Yeah, Nathan, don't," the guy mocked. Nathan's eyes shot daggers at him. Haley, in response, wrapped her arms around his waist to keep him in place. He seriously looked like he was two seconds away from lunging at the guy.

"Knock it off," Haley snapped at the jerk before turning back to Nathan. "And you, let's go."

"But he…"

"Now," Haley ordered and started to pull him along. When they were a safe distance away, she whipped around to face Nathan.

"Ow!" he exclaimed when she smacked him in the stomach. "What the hell was that for?"

"That's for losing your temper."

"Haley, the guy was an ass."

"I don't care. It's not worth getting into a fight over some stupid football," she admonished.

"I wasn't fighting with him because of the football. I was pissed, because they picked an idiot as a quarterback. That was a hard pass. You could've been knocked out or something," he defended.

"But you caught it in time, and I'm fine," Haley pointed out. "So don't worry about it. I don't want you getting hurt either."

"Please, that punk would've needed to be carried home by the time I was through with him," Nathan replied with a smirk. His hand then found its way to her cheek. "Besides, someone needs to protect that pretty face of yours." Haley automatically felt her cheeks flush and heat up in response. _He's good._

"Are you trying to charm me into not being mad at you?" Haley questioned with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"That depends. Is it working?" Nathan replied with a sexy smile. _Ok, he's really good._

"Only if you promise to keep that temper of yours in check next time," she replied with a pointed look.

"Hales…"

"Promise me, Scott," she reinforced.

"Ok, fine. I promise," Nathan relented. "Happy now?"

"Yes," Haley beamed with a triumphant smile.

"Well, you're just lucky that I don't have time to argue, since I need to be in class in ten minutes," Nathan replied.

"Then get going. Chop chop, Scott," she teased.

"Actually, I have something to show you first. I was actually on my way to your music class when I found you," he explained.

"What is it?" Haley asked curiously.

"This," Nathan declared as he pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack and showed it to her.

"Oh my God, Nathan!" Haley exclaimed excitedly as she eyed his test paper for his statistics class. "You got a B!"

"I figured you'd like it," he commented with a smile.

"I love it. I am so proud of you," she declared before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Nathan had been busting his butt during their tutoring sessions so that he could do well in that class. It was so great to see that all of his hard work was starting to pay off.

"Thanks," Nathan replied. He gave her an extra squeeze before pulling away slightly with a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, does this make you want to tell me what your costume is?" Haley laughed out loud. He really was the most impatient person she knew.

"Nope, sorry. You're still going to have to wait for tomorrow night."

"You're killing me, Baby James."

"Then my work here is done," she teased. "Now start walking to class before you're late."

"Yes, m'am," he mocked. Haley just rolled her eyes at him before starting to turn around. But Nathan's hand on her arm halted her.

"Just one more thing before I go," Nathan said.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Save me a dance tomorrow night," he requested.

"I thought you didn't like to dance," Haley pointed out.

"A slow one then," he replied. Haley glanced at him for a few more seconds before a small grin formed on her face.

"Count on it."

* * *

"Dude, watch it. You almost sat on me," Lucas complained.

"Sorry," Nathan apologized as he looked to find his seat. "I can't see too well in this mask."

"Then why would you pick that costume?"

"Because Batman is freaking awesome," he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's way better than any pirate."

"I'm not just any pirate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"So?"

"So Captain Jack gets way more chicks than Batman does."

"Like hell he does. I'm a superhero. They get way more ass," Nathan argued.

"In case you didn't see the films, Captain Jack got the three whores, that Anna Maria girl who he stole the boat from, the weird witch woman, and some lip action from Elizabeth Swann. He's the man."

"Not uh. Bruce had…"

"Will you two shut up?" Matt interrupted.

"Yeah, you guys are being self-centered. Now what do you think of my costume?" Tim questioned. Lucas and Nathan just looked at one another before rolling their eyes.

"I think you look the same way you did five minutes ago," Matt replied. "Ridiculous."

"Hey, this costume rocks."

"Dim, you're wearing a diaper and holding a heart-shaped bow and arrow. Where's the dignity in that?"

"I'll have you know that none of you would be getting any ass if it wasn't for me," Tim defended. "Cupid is responsible for all hott hook ups. And he's way better than whatever pimped out thing you're wearing."

"I'm Al Capone."

"Never heard of him."

"He's one of the most notorious gangsters of the 1920s," Lucas explained.

"Total loser compared to Cupid," Tim replied with a shake of his head.

"I don't even know why I bother," Matt muttered.

"I don't get why you guys are even arguing," Taylor spoke up. "My costume outdoes all of yours. None of you chumps even comes close to Xena."

"Wasn't she a lesbian?" Tim commented.

"That has yet to be confirmed. And there's nothing wrong with a little experimentation," she joked.

"You scare me sometimes," Matt stated. As his friends continued to argue about who had the best costume, Nathan's eyes roamed over the crowd. They were all supposed to meet at the club around eight o'clock. Haley and Brooke were about ten minutes late, and it was slowly driving him crazy. He was dying to know what Haley had chosen for a costume. The fact that she was so secretive and wouldn't even give him a hint did not help his curiosity.

"Where are Haley and Brooke?" Nathan asked the group a few minutes later when they still hadn't arrived.

"Probably still getting ready," Lucas guessed. "Brooke takes forever and is most likely fussing over Haley, too."

"Actually, I saw them by the bathrooms a few minutes ago talking to Jake and Skills. By the way, Peyton's here, too. I thought I'd give you a heads up, Nate," Taylor added.

"Thanks," Nathan replied. Although, it wasn't like he was dreading seeing Peyton. It would probably be awkward, but they'd agreed to try to be friends. He was actually more anxious about Haley's costume than anything. And now that he knew she was already here, he didn't know how much longer he could just sit there and wait.

"That sucks," Matt commented. "I always hated running into ex-girlfriends. It's so uncomfortable."

"Well, that's nice to know," Solaris proclaimed as she rejoined the group and sat on Matt's lap. The club was already crowded and extra chairs were hard to come by.

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna go see if I can find Brooke and Haley," Lucas informed them. "I'll be back."

"I'll come with you," Nathan quickly spoke up. The two brothers then made their way through the crowd.

"I think the bathrooms are this way," Lucas stated. Nathan just followed his lead. A few minutes later, they spotted Brooke talking to Skills at a nearby table.

"Hey, Cheery, I was wondering where you were," Lucas said once they'd reached them.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Broody," Brooke replied after getting up and giving him an affectionate kiss on the lips. "Skills here was just filling me in on some juicy gossip."

"Yeah, sorry, Luke," Skills apologized. "We got a little caught up."

"That's ok. Cool outfit by the way," Lucas complimented. "Is that from Star Wars?"

"Yup. Just call me Master Windu for the rest of the night," Skills laughed. "Yours is good, too. I love Captain Jack."

"See," Lucas said with a victorious smile to Nathan.

"But Batman is pretty awesome, too" Skills added.

"I told you," Nathan smirked back. Skills definitely just won some cool points in his book. They'd met briefly only a couple of times when Haley had introduced them. Skills seemed like a good guy, though. He was very laidback and often came out with some entertaining things. But Nathan also liked that he and his friend Jake watched out for Haley and Brooke when he and Lucas couldn't be around.

"Whatever," Lucas mumbled.

"And who are you again?" Skills asked Brooke.

"Elizabeth Swann. Duh," Brooke replied while pointing to her dress.

"I thought that she was with Will Turner," he remarked confusedly.

"Well, she kisses Captain Jack in the second movie. Close enough," Brooke dismissed with a flick of her hand.

"So, where's Haley?" Nathan interrupted. He started looking around, but still couldn't spot her. _Ok, this really isn't my night. _

"She went to go dance with Peyton and Jake," Skills answered. "They're somewhere over there." Nathan followed his line of sight to the dance floor. Of course it had to be a large area filled with tons of people.

"Alright, thanks. I'll catch up with you guys later," Nathan declared before continuing his search. He was going to find Haley if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Haley fanned herself as she walked over to the bar. She could feel the sweat on her brow and the heat radiate throughout her body. She'd been dancing with Jake and Peyton for the last twenty minutes before she told them she needed a break. Plus, they seemed to be dancing more with each other than her. Haley figured she'd give them some alone time.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"Just a bottled water please," she requested.

"Here you go," he said while handing it to her. Haley then paid him and grabbed a seat. Her feet were already killing her. But then again, her heels were more for show than comfort. Haley stayed in that spot for a little while and just looked at the people around her. Some had the weirdest costumes she'd ever seen. One guy had actually wrapped himself in aluminum foil like a baked potato. And she could've sworn that she saw another guy in a large diaper roaming around. _Weird_, she mused. A couple more minutes passed before Haley decided to go find her other friends. They were probably wondering where the hell she was. And she knew that Nathan was dying to finally see her costume. Haley smoothed her outfit over as she stood up. Truth be told, she was a little anxious to see what Nathan thought of it.

She then turned around ready to start her search. She jumped, however, when she noticed a dark figure standing merely a foot away from her. It took a second for her to finally realize that the dark figure was Batman. Haley looked at him intently. Was it Nathan? She could hardly tell from the mask. But that's what he told her he was going as. _It must be him_, she concluded. She soon realized that she was right when he took his mask off a second later. He had all black makeup around his eyes to darken them, but he still appeared devastatingly handsome. In her opinion, the superhero thing was a good look on him.

Nathan noticed Haley shift as his eyes roamed over her body. She was right. He never would've guessed the costume that she picked out. However, she hadn't been lying when she said it was sexy. Nathan had never really liked bugs—or bees to be more specific. But Haley sure as hell could change his mind with that outfit of hers. She wore a tiny tube dress. The sleeveless bodice had black and yellow horizontal stripes that clung to every single curve of her body. The hem of the dress was yellow, too, and seemed to be made out of some type of nylon material. It just barely covered her upper thighs. His gaze then traveled down to her legs. She had on fishnet stockings and probably the highest pair of heels he'd ever seen—which made her legs look even more damn amazing in his opinion. And of course, he couldn't overlook the small pair of wings on her back or the yellow antennas on her head. He smiled when he saw them bobble slightly.

"So, what do you think?" Haley asked nervously. Nathan hadn't said anything for a few minutes, and she didn't know whether to take it as a good sign or bad.

"I think you're the sexiest insect I've ever seen," he eventually declared. Haley looked away briefly from his intense stare. She just knew that her face was already blushing. She then lightly cleared her throat.

"I'm a honey bee actually," she explained.

"Well, feel free to pollinate me anytime," he teased with a sexy smirk. Haley felt her whole body get even hotter than it was before. _Is it just me or is this place turning into a sauna? _

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself, Bruce," she replied as she ran a hand over his chest to feel the material of his costume. "Very heroic."

"That's me," Nathan beamed confidently. Haley rolled her eyes playfully in response.

"And you already have the ego to match," she joked.

"Hey, be nice. I saved you from a football yesterday. Next time you might not 'bee' so lucky," he kidded while making air quotes.

"You are such a dork," Haley laughed.

"Says the girl wearing antennas."

"I'll have you know that many men find them attractive," she defended. "I've already had about five guys ask me for my number." Who would've thought being a honey bee could get so much attention?

"Trust me, it's not your antennas they're looking at," he mumbled. A second later, though, her words set in. "Wait, which guys?"

"Just Romeo, a convict, a cowboy, George Bush, and Elvis," she listed off. "Oh! And there was some other guy dressed as a flasher. That makes six."

"What?!" Nathan exclaimed as his eyes began to scan the crowd for these creeps—especially the flasher perv.

"The flasher guy wasn't actually naked."

"I don't care. That guy is dead," Nathan growled. Haley shook her head and sighed. What was it with men and their protective streaks? Although, she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she found it adorable.

"How about a little less ass kicking tonight and a little more dancing?" Haley proposed. "Besides, you promised to keep that temper of yours in check."

"I lied," he muttered dryly. Haley laughed amused.

"Whatever. Let's go, Bruce," she said before grabbing his hand and leading him to the dance floor.

"Wait, there's no slow song playing."

"I know."

"Hales, in case you've forgotten, I don't dance."

"Come on, Batman, where's your sense of adventure," she challenged.

"Hales…" he began to protest.

"Just put your mask on and no one will even see you," Haley suggested as she continued to pull him along. Once she found a good spot, she then turned to him. She smiled when she saw that Nathan had taken her advice and put his mask back on.

"You are going to be the death of me, Baby James," Nathan muttered.

"You'll be fine," Haley stated as Danity Kane's "Pretty Boy" began to play. She then grabbed his hands and turned around to wrap his arms around her waist. His whole body was tense, but Haley had anticipated that. However, she was determined to get him past this insecurity. She was Tutor Girl, after all.

Nathan felt his breathing become heavier as Haley started to move up against him. He may not know what he was doing, but she certainly did. Maybe this whole dancing thing wasn't so bad after all. It wasn't long before Nathan actually felt himself starting to get into it. But then again, what guy could resist a gorgeous girl like Haley grinding on him? Afterward, he tightened his hold on her waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Haley was so overheated right now that it wasn't even funny. When she suggested that they dance, she thought it would be a fun thing to do. Friends danced. It was totally allowed. But the feel of his hands on her and his large, hard body against her soft, petite one had her tingling everywhere. They stayed like that for awhile until a slow song eventually came on. Haley took a deep breath and tried to get a handle over herself before turning around to face him. She was surprised to see that he'd taken off his mask.

"Hot?" Haley questioned.

"A bit," Nathan commented as he ran a hand through his damp hair. If only she knew what she was doing to him right now. "Hot" didn't even come close to describing it. _Boyfriend. She has a boyfriend_, he had to keep chanting in his head. If he didn't, then Nathan just knew that he'd do something they'd both regret.

"Did you maybe want to go find everyone else and sit down for awhile?" Haley suggested as she fanned her face. She really wished that she'd saved some of her water from before instead of just chugging it.

"But you owe me a slow dance," he reminded her.

"After this," she clarified.

"Ok," Nathan agreed. Haley nodded as she rested her hands on his shoulders. Afterward, she laid her head on his chest. She really did not trust herself at the moment with those blue eyes of his. Instead, she just let herself relax against him. _What the hell am I going to do?_ She was getting in deep. Haley could feel it. And what scared her even more was how much she just wanted to let go.

* * *

"That was hilarious," Taylor laughed.

"It was not. Shut up," Haley retorted back annoyed.

"I have to agree," Matt added. "I can't believe you're still afraid of them."

"What? They're scary!" Haley defended.

"Clowns?" Matt questioned in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Well, I agree with Tutor Girl," Tim spoke up. "Those things are just plain demented. They should be outlawed or something" The whole gang, aside from Brooke and Lucas who were off dancing again, was sitting at their table. For the last hour, they talked and joked around. Haley was really enjoying herself. Or at least until some guy in a clown suit had passed by their table. She'd practically jumped out of her skin when she saw him.

"I'm with them," Solaris added. "Clowns are creepy."

"Thank you," Haley replied while giving her brother a triumphant smile. As the casual conversation continued around her, Haley could feel her face heat up. His eyes were on her again. Nathan had been sneaking glances at her ever since they'd left the dance floor—which she knew because she'd been doing the same to him. _Just keep on digging that hole, Haley,_ she thought sarcastically. A second later, though, a loud voice snapped her out of her muddled thoughts.

"Hey, Haley!" She then turned around to see Peyton in her dark angel costume standing behind her—or more like wobbling. Everyone immediately stopped talking and stared at her curiously. Afterward, they shot glances to Nathan gaging his reaction—which remained neutral.

"Hey, Peyton," Haley replied. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she exclaimed with an exaggerated flick of her hand. "Why wouldn't I be?" Haley glanced at her with a concerned look on her face. Something was wrong. Peyton was never this loud or loopy. Haley got up out of her seat and took a closer look at her.

"Um, Peyton, are you drunk?" Haley asked carefully.

"What?! No! I didn't drink… much," she answered. But just from the strong whiff of her breath that Haley got, she could tell that she, indeed, was.

"Well, then how much did you have?"

"I'm not sure. I lost count after my third beer," she laughed with a slight slur. Haley then quickly put a hand on her arm to steady her as she swayed again.

"And where's Jake?" Haley asked while scanning the crowd.

"I lost him," Peyton said with a shrug as she stared intently at something above Haley's head. The next thing Haley knew, Peyton had lifted a hand and started playing with her antennas. "Those are cool," she complimented with a dopey smile. Haley heard Taylor snicker. She gave her sister a warning look before turning back to Peyton.

"Well, why don't you sit down," Haley suggested before leading her over to her seat. Solaris also stood up to help her.

"Oh no, I can't stay. I have to find beer and get another Jake," Peyton said as she tried to stay rooted in her spot.

"Peyton, honey, why don't you sit down first," Solaris tried to coax. However, she still wouldn't budge.

"But I don't want to. I only came over here to thank Haley," she declared. Haley frowned in response.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For telling me to get out and have some fun. Why should I pout and be miserable just because men suck?" Haley glanced over at Nathan and gave him an apologetic look. He just shook his head to let her know that he wasn't bothered by it.

"The point is I shouldn't!" Peyton continued—answering her own question. "You were right! In fact, you're a damn genius!" she proclaimed.

"Maybe we should get her some coffee," Solaris proposed.

"Actually, this is kind of entertaining," Matt commented. "Ow! Solaris, what the hell?!" he exclaimed after she smacked him upside the head.

"Don't be an ass," she reprimanded.

"Peyton, really, let's sit down," Haley urged, but the blonde just kept going.

"I'm serious. You're a genius. I'm totally going to pick a guy like yours next time," Peyton said. "You're really good at that."

"What?" Matt questioned confused. _Oh shit_, Haley cursed to herself. She definitely didn't like where this was going.

"You know what, guys, I think I'm just going to take her to the ladies room," Haley stated as she tightened her grip on Peyton's arm and tried to pull her along.

"I mean, I'd love to get flowers and love notes and all that other romantic crap," Peyton declared slurring again. "Hey, Haley, does Chase have any brothers?"

"Who's Chase?" Taylor asked with a frown.

"I'm sure it's no one," Nathan downplayed it. He could see the look of pure panic forming on Haley's face right now. "She's drunk. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Yes, I do," Peyton proclaimed stubbornly. "Chase seems awesome. You could actually learn a few things from him, Nathan."

"Peyton, seriously, shut it," Nathan gritted out.

"Who the hell is Chase?" Matt inquired again. Haley could hear the impatience seeping into his voice. This was bad. This was really, really bad. "And who is he sending flowers and love notes?"

"To Haley. Duh," Peyton scoffed.

"Oh my God, Haley Bop, you have an admirer?" Taylor questioned with an excited look. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Or me," Matt added edgily. "Who is this punk?"

"He's not an admirer or a punk. He's just…" Haley tried to come up with an explanation when Peyton cut her off.

"He's her boyfriend."

"What?!" Matt exploded. _Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. That's it. I'm officially screwed_, Haley thought with dread.

"Sssshhhhh!" Peyton berated in a loud whisper. "It's supposed to be secret."

"Matt, it's not…" Haley began again, but it was too late. The damage was already done.

"Outside, Haley," he said through gritted teeth as he stood up. "We need to have a little chat."

"But, Matt…" she pled.

"Outside, Haley."

"Matt, calm down," Nathan came to her defense. He could already see the vein bulging in his friend's neck. That was never a good sign. "It's not that bad."

"I am really confused right now," Taylor mumbled. "Haley has a boyfriend?"

"Well, you see, it all started…" Tim began.

"Shut it, Dim. Haley, let's go," Matt ordered again.

"Matt, I'm not…" she protested.

"_Now_, _Haley_!" he demanded loudly before grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the exit. Haley immediately felt her stomach churn. This was not going to be pretty.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone, thanks so much for the reviews last chapter! I was really happy to see that you guys liked Haley's costume. I love the movie Grease, but I did not like that look on Haley in S3. I thought she appeared too desperate. So I decided to switch it up last chapter. I also just wanted to let you guys know that I won't be posting the prologue for Secrets of Life. Most of you said you'd prefer to read it when the story is ready, which I understand. So that's what's going on with that. Now, I hope you guys like this chapter. I really loved writing it. So please read and review! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter of MTA! Again, I always appreciate them. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Damn it, Matt! Let go," Haley demanded as her brother continued to pull her through the crowded club. "You're overreacting." Matt didn't respond. Instead, he just kept up his quick pace until they were out of the club. Once they reached the parking lot, Haley took the opportunity to yank her arm away from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong with me?!" Matt snapped back incredulously. "I think the real question is what's wrong with you?!"

"Nothing. You're the one acting ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous to be pissed when you find out that your sister has been lying to you," he defended. "You've been dating someone, and you didn't even tell me."

"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I had to report everything going on in my life to you," Haley retorted sarcastically.

"Not everything. But going out with some delinquent is one hell of a secret to keep."

"First of all, Chase is not a delinquent. And second, you don't even know him."

"I know enough. What kind of a guy encourages you to lie to your family?" Matt challenged.

"It was my choice," Haley explained. "And I did it for this reason. I knew you were going to flip out."

"I am not flipping out," he objected.

"Yes, you are," she replied.

"I simply want some answers."

"Matt, it's none of your business. I don't have to tell you anything," Haley defended as her temper started to rise. She hated when he got like this. He always tried to act like her father. And what was even more ironic was the fact that not even her dad got this angry when it came to her and guys.

"I think I have a right to know about the guy who's dating my baby sister. I know how these creeps are, and I don't want them to take advantage of you."

"Well, newsflash, I'm not a baby. I don't need your protection. I can handle myself," she stated.

"Yeah, because lying is so mature," he retorted. "I expected more from you, Haley."

"Don't talk to me like that," Haley ordered angrily. "Stop treating me like a child."

"I will as soon as you stop acting like one."

Haley scoffed. "You are unbelievable. You act like a big baby all huffing and puffing about me having a boyfriend, and I'm the one acting like a kid? I don't think so."

"You're only eighteen. You don't know what to think," Matt responded patronizingly.

"Yeah, well, I know one thing. You're being an ass," she snapped. Her whole body was shaking she was so pissed. It was then that she shook her head at him and turned around to leave. There was no way that Haley could talk to Matt when he was like this. He was being absurd, and she was literally two seconds away from seriously going off on him. This wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Haley, don't you…" he began when another voice cut in.

"Matt, stop it." It was then that Haley noticed her sister approaching them. She appeared slightly out of breath—probably from trying to catch up to them.

"Taylor, she…" Matt tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear it," Taylor warned. "Just give me your car keys."

"But…"

"Matt, just give me your car keys," she repeated.

"Why?" he asked skeptically.

"I'm taking Haley back to her dorm," she answered before turning to Haley. "Unless you want to stay here a while longer." Haley shook her head. She'd had enough for one night. Not to mention that she was embarrassed to face everyone again, since her brother had dragged her out of the club like some petulant child minutes prior.

"But we're not done talking."

"You are now," Taylor said while giving him a firm look.

"Well, how am I going to get home?"

"Get a ride with one of the others," she told him. She then nodded for Haley to follow her. Haley did. She could feel her brother's eyes on her, but she wouldn't dare look in his direction. A minute later, they were in the car and on their way back to campus.

"Are you going to yell at me, too?" Haley questioned breaking the silence. Her sister was always such a chatterbox. It made her nervous when she didn't talk.

"No," Taylor answered.

"Are you disappointed in me?" Haley muttered. As much as she wished her brother's words hadn't affected her, they had. She knew it was wrong to lie, but it was so typical of Matt to blame everything on her. And the worst part was that, at times, he actually succeeded in making her feel guilty—like she was the only one at fault.

"No," she replied.

"You're mad then," Haley assumed.

"Not really." Haley stared at her sister with a puzzled expression.

"Then what…"

"Let's just wait until we get back to the dorm, ok?" Taylor suggested. Haley nodded silently as the knots in her stomach only increased. Several minutes later, they finally arrived. Haley went first and used her student ID to let them into the building. Taylor continued to trail behind as they made their way up the stairs to Haley's room. Once they were inside, Haley took off her antennae, wings, and heels that were now killing her aching feet. Taylor took a seat on her bed before patting the spot next to her. Haley obliged and sat beside her sister, nervously waiting for her reaction to tonight's revelation.

"Tell me about him," Taylor said.

Haley looked at her confused. "Who?"

"Chase," she clarified. "What's he like?"

"Um…" Haley trailed off—surprised by her sister's request. "He's a senior at Stanford, but we originally met in L.A. over the summer. He's very friendly, smart, and loyal. He likes to skateboard and joke around a lot. Sometimes he sends me flowers and notes as a nice gesture or to just keep in touch. Overall, he's a good guy." Taylor nodded.

"How long have you been dating?"

"A few months," Haley answered. Although, not without a twinge of guilt. She was, technically, still lying. _I'm going to Hell_, she thought dejectedly.

"Do you have any pictures of him?" Taylor asked.

"Uh, yeah," she replied before getting up to grab the photo album that Brooke had made of their trip to L.A. She then returned to her previous spot and handed it over to Taylor.

"He's cute," Taylor commented with a small smile as she looked over the pictures.

"Yeah," Haley agreed. A couple of minutes passed as Taylor proceeded to glance at the photos.

"I like this one," she commented. Haley noticed that it was one of her and Chase horsing around at the beach.

"We had fun that day," Haley stated with a reminiscent smile. But it quickly disappeared when she realized that her sister had yet to express her feelings towards this whole situation. "Um, Taylor?"

"Hmm?" she responded while keeping her eyes on the pictures.

"As glad as I am that you're so calm right now and are interested in learning about Chase, it's kind of making me nervous."

"Don't be," Taylor assured her. She then glanced up from the pictures to look her in the eye. "I can understand why you would keep something like this a secret. Based on what I saw, Matt's reaction wasn't exactly receptive—which I'm sure you were anticipating."

"Pretty much," Haley mumbled.

"But unlike our butthead of a brother, I'm not going to get mad or jump down your throat or anything," Taylor added. "I would've liked to have known about Chase, but it's your choice who you want to open up to." Haley heard the hint of sadness in her sister's voice and immediately felt bad.

"I'm sorry, Tay. I just wasn't sure how you were going to react either. I know that you worry about me, too."

"Well, for future reference, you can talk to me about these things. I'm your big sister. I've been dreaming of the day when I could gossip with you about boyfriends and stuff," Taylor said while giving her a playful nudge. Haley smiled in response—relieved that she had at least one sibling on her side.

"Thanks, Tay," she replied.

"No problem," Taylor stated. She gave Haley another smile, but her expression turned serious a moment later. "And since we're talking about boys, I kind of have an important question to ask you."

"What is it?" Haley inquired with a frown.

"Is there something going on between you and Nathan?"

"What?" Haley asked completely shocked. The tense feeling in her stomach seemed to return along with the rapid beating of her heart. That was the last thing she expected to come out of her sister's mouth. _Oh crap_, she thought panicked. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I was at the bar getting a drink when I saw you guys dancing," she explained.

"So?" Haley tried to downplay it.

"So I know Nathan. He avoids dancing at all costs," Taylor stated. "He wouldn't even go with Peyton or me if we ever asked him."

"Well, I am his tutor. He trusts me. I was just teaching him how to do it," Haley replied.

"You know, I'd probably believe that if you guys hadn't looked so hot and heavy. Not to mention there were all of those looks you guys were giving each other at the table afterward," she informed her. It was then that Haley felt the pure panic arise from within her. She'd thought that she'd been discreet with her sideways glances at Nathan. Obviously not since her sister had noticed. But that's not what scared her. It was the fact that if Taylor had seen, did that mean that everyone else had picked up on it, too?

"Taylor, look…um…" Haley stuttered as she tried to come up with some kind of explanation. "…it's not…I mean we're not…oh God." She let out a defeated sigh before covering her face in her hands. This night was getting worse by the minute.

"Haley Bop, relax," Taylor stated while putting a comforting hand on her back. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Taylor, that is not going to help if everyone else already saw," Haley groaned.

"They didn't," she reassured her. "If I hadn't seen you guys dancing earlier, I wouldn't have even noticed." Haley nodded as she let out another sigh. This time somewhat relieved.

"What's going on, Haley Bop?" Taylor questioned tentatively a few seconds later. "I'm really confused. Secret boyfriends and then fooling around with Nathan on the side…"

"Nathan and I aren't fooling around. We're just friends," Haley corrected.

"Haley, I'm not blind. It's obvious there's something more brewing between to the two of you. But nevertheless, none of this is like you."

"I know," Haley mumbled while looking down at her hands nervously. Her sister was right. She never behaved in this way. And to be honest, she was getting tired of keeping so many secrets and lying.

"So what's going on?" Taylor repeated. Haley looked back up at her sister and took a deep breath. She didn't want to lie again. It was time for her to tell the truth for once.

"I'm not really dating Chase…at least not anymore. This whole thing has kind of been a set up," she stated.

Taylor gave her a puzzled look. "I don't understand." Haley then went into the whole ordeal—starting with everything she'd been feeling for Nathan in high school. She then explained what happened between them in May, how she met Chase in Los Angeles, his and Brooke's plan, and everything that had been going on since she returned to Tree Hill. By the time she was done, there was no mistaking the look of pure shock present on her sister's face.

"Taylor?" Haley prodded when her sister was still silent a couple of minutes later.

"And here I thought you and Lucas were getting it on all this time," Taylor finally muttered.

"Ew, Taylor!" Haley exclaimed. "He's like a second brother to me."

"And yet you want to jump his brother's bones," she teased.

"I do not," Haley objected as she felt her face turn red from embarrassment. "And this isn't funny. In fact, you should be yelling at me right now for keeping all of this a secret for so long and crushing on one of your friends."

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I find this all too fascinating to yell at you. This is like some serious _Young and the Restless_ type shit," Taylor laughed. Haley just folded her arms defensively and rolled her eyes. Only her sister could laugh at her after she'd just poured her heart out to her.

"Taylor, come on. Can you please be serious for like one second of my life?" Haley implored.

"Ok, I'm sorry," she apologized once the laughing had died down. "It's just that if it was Nathan's attention you had wanted, I could've helped you with that years ago."

"Well, that doesn't exactly do me any good now," Haley muttered. "I don't know what to do, Tay. All summer I tried so hard to let him go. And now it's all screwed up."

"Do you want to let him go?"

"What?" Haley asked taken aback.

"Do you actually want to let him go?" she reiterated. "I mean, this is what you wanted all along, right? You wanted Nathan to notice and take an interest in you. After everything you told me and what I just saw, it seems like that wish of yours is finally coming true. Why not just go for it?"

"Taylor, it's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"Because he just broke up with Peyton, and I'm supposedly dating Chase," Haley explained.

"So 'break up' with Chase," Taylor suggested while making air quotes.

"I can't, Tay," she objected. "Too much has happened. It's too late. I'm already in over my head. And can you just imagine the fuse Matt will blow if he ever finds out. You saw him tonight. He can't even deal with me dating a complete stranger. Anything happening between Nathan and me would push him over the edge."

"First of all, it's not too late. It's never too late to go after something you want."

"But…"

"And second, screw Matt. I love him, but you and I both know he can be a real idiot sometimes. You shouldn't let him dictate your life."

"I'm not," Haley denied.

"Good. Then there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to pursue something with Nathan if you want."

"But, Tay, I just…" Haley hesitated. "…I just don't want to get hurt again." She'd already let Nathan completely pull her in once, and it hadn't worked out. Haley didn't know if she could handle that same pain and disappointment she'd felt the last time.

"Look, I know that I'm not exactly the best expert when it comes to relationship advice," Taylor admitted. "But I do know that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. You're never gonna know what you could have if you don't take a chance, Haley Bop." Haley stared at her sister as she processed her words. She knew on some level that Taylor was right. But it had been a long night, and it was all too much to take in at the moment.

"I'll think about it," Haley promised.

"Good," Taylor replied. "Besides, if Nathan does ever hurt you again, I'll kill him."

Haley cracked a small smile. "Thanks, Tay."

"No problem," she responded. Haley then leaned in to give her sister a hug.

"I'm glad that I talked to you." Although not everything was settled, Haley felt relieved to get all of that off of her chest. At least it was one less person she was lying to.

"Me, too," Taylor said with a smile. A minute later, however, she got a mischievous glint in her eye. "So, since Chase is actually available, can I have his number? He's kind of cute."

"Taylor!" Haley exclaimed laughing.

"What?"

* * *

"Hold on a sec," Nathan called as he paused his game of NBA Live. He then quickly picked up some of the dirty clothes on the floor and threw them in his closet to make the room look more presentable. He and Lucas really needed to come up with some kind of system of organization, and soon. A couple of seconds later, he heard whoever was at the door knock even louder. "I'm coming!" _Jeez, can't a guy play a videogame in peace anymore?_ He'd barely gotten a moment to himself today. Between his classes, basketball practice, and he and the guys trying to talk some damn sense into Matt after last night's disaster, he was pretty wiped out. And the worst part was his day still wasn't over yet. With a loud sigh, Nathan finally made his way over to the door and opened it.

"Peyton?" he questioned surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I kind of have to talk to you," she stated timidly. "Do you mind if I come in? I promise it won't take long." Nathan wasn't really in the mood to deal with her at the moment. He was still pissed about the mess she caused last night. But when he saw the pleading look in her eyes, he reluctantly stepped aside.

"Thanks," she mumbled before entering the room.

"What do you want, Peyton?" he inquired after shutting the door and folding his arms.

"You're not in a good mood," she commented.

"Well, I guess I have you and your drunken spiel last night to thank for that," he retorted. Peyton looked away shamefully before meeting his gaze again.

"Look, I came by to say I'm sorry about that," Peyton explained. "We agreed to be friends, and then I went and said some mean things to you. I shouldn't have said that guys, or you, sucked or compared you to Chase. That wasn't fair."

"Actually, I thought you outing Haley and Chase to Matt and Taylor was more unfair than you insulting me," Nathan said. "Maybe you should be apologizing to Haley, instead."

"I've already tried, but she wasn't in class today or at cheer practice. I called her, too, but she's not picking up," she informed him.

"Well, do you blame her?" he challenged. "Peyton, you really screwed her over."

"You think that I don't know that," Peyton snapped back. "I feel terrible about it."

"Yeah, well, that's not going to fix any of this. Matt's pissed, Haley, from what I've heard, is really upset, and the rest of us are caught in the middle."

"Look, Nathan, I don't know what else to say but that I'm sorry," she replied. "If I could go back and change last night, I would. But I can't." Nathan stared at Peyton and saw the guilty look on her face. He then felt a little bad for being so harsh on her. She did appear to be sorry. But she had to know how her drunken behavior had affected everyone.

"I guess I should go," Peyton mumbled when the weird silence in the room seemed to drag on for a couple more minutes. She then headed for the door. "I'm sorry, Nathan."

"Peyton," he called before she was completely out the door. She turned around to face him again. "I have a tutoring session with Haley later. I'll let her know you were asking for her."

"Thanks," Peyton replied with a small, appreciative smile. Nathan nodded and let out a loud sigh once she'd left. He hadn't actually talked to Haley since last night, before the big blow out. He'd called her a few times, but she never picked up. So he wasn't sure what to expect during their tutoring session. He was worried about her, though. That much he was sure of. It wasn't like her to miss classes or cheer practice. Nathan then checked his watch. _One hour and fifteen minutes to go..._

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Haley asked as she walked onto the pavement of the River Court.

"Because you could use some fresh air," Nathan answered.

"Really? Because I thought you were just trying to get out of studying," Haley commented with a teasing smile.

"Wow, you caught me. Nice work, Baby James," Nathan muttered mockingly.

"Shut up," Haley laughed before nudging him. "You're such a smart ass." Nathan just laughed as he went over to a nearby bush and pulled out a basketball.

"Ooh, it looks like I know where your secret stash is now," Haley joked.

Nathan smirked. "Hey, be quiet before I leave you all alone out here in the dark,"

"You better not," Haley warned.

"Then be good."

"I always am," she said with a wink before taking a seat on the bleachers nearby. Nathan felt his smile widen in response. He then walked over towards the center of the court and started shooting. It had been awhile since he actually set foot on a court and just played. Most of the time, he was busy going over game tapes and defensive strategies with Whitey and Lucas for the team. They were determined to make a comeback this year whether Quentin fully cooperated or not.

"Nice one, Scott!" Haley called as his free throw swished perfectly in the net. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Nathan play basketball. She missed seeing him this way. He always seemed so at ease on the court. Like nothing in the outside world could touch him. Haley wouldn't mind experiencing that, even if it was just for a little while. However, she did have to admit that just simply watching him move and shoot the ball as gracefully as he did was sort of a comfort.

Haley then took a deep breath of fresh air. It was cool outside, but she didn't mind. It was actually clearing her head of all the jumbled thoughts she'd been having during the day. She'd had a lot to think about after her conversation with Taylor last night. She hadn't gotten much sleep either—which was why she decided to skip classes and cheer practice earlier. Haley felt completely drained. She needed a break. Haley had also considered cancelling her session with Nathan today, too. But he depended on her, and she couldn't do that to him. Plus, she looked forward to their time together.

"You wanna try?" Nathan asked

Haley shook her head. "No thanks. I've had enough public humiliation recently to last me a lifetime." Nathan knew that she was trying to play it off as a joke, but he could still hear an undertone of sadness in her voice. He'd hoped that maybe some time away from campus would do her some good. That's why he'd suggested they skip tutoring tonight and just hang out. He could tell that she wasn't really up for reviewing statistical theories and equations with him at the moment.

Haley looked at Nathan curiously when he suddenly stopped dribbling the ball and started to walk over to her. She shivered slightly when his arm lightly brushed hers, and he took a seat next to her.

Nathan looked at her concerned. "Are you cold?"

"Um, maybe a little," she tried to play it off. He then placed the basketball down onto the ground and wrapped his arm around her waist—drawing her closer to him. At first, Haley was a little tense. But it wasn't long until she started to relax into his embrace and leaned her head against chest.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked while running one of his hands through her hair.

"Stuff," she muttered.

"What kind of stuff?" Haley shrugged silently.

"It wouldn't happen to involve my ass of a best friend a.k.a your brother, would it?" he guessed after a couple of seconds. He didn't know exactly what had transpired between the two, but he had a pretty good idea.

"Maybe," she admitted.

"Have you talked to him since last night?"

"No."

"Well, that's probably a good idea. You both need some time to cool off." Haley nodded and involuntarily closed her eyes. She was so tired, and his hand in her hair was slowly lulling her to sleep.

"Peyton came to see me today," Nathan added after a minute or so. Haley's eyes snapped open at that.

"Why?"

"She wanted to apologize for some of the things she said to me," he explained. "She looked really sorry. She wants to talk to you, too."

"I know. She called and left a couple of messages."

"Are you going to talk to her?"

"I will, but not right now," Haley answered. She knew that Peyton was drunk, but she couldn't help the twinge of anger she still felt. The whole situation had gotten even more messed up because of her intoxicated rant. Haley needed some time to calm down before they talked things over, too.

Nathan and Haley were silent again for a little while. Nathan just continued to hold her and caress her hair. For a moment, he thought that Haley had fallen asleep. She was so quiet and had looked absolutely exhausted earlier. It was when he heard a small sniffle, however, that he realized she wasn't asleep. She was crying.

"Hey," Nathan said softly while lifting her head up to face him. "What's the matter?" Haley just shook her head as the tears continued to spill from her eyes. His other hand came up to her face and started to wipe some of them away. "Hales, talk to me."

"I'm so confused, Nathan," she muttered.

"About what?"

"Everything," Haley choked out. "Matt, Chase, everything…"

"Why?" It was then that she started to pull away from him. Nathan could see that she was trying to shut him out. He recognized the signs. It's what he did all of the time. But he wouldn't let her. Instead, he wrapped his arms securely around her again and held onto her tightly. She struggled against him for a second before completely melting into his embrace. Nathan then waited patiently as she cried it all out. Every once in a while, he would whisper a few comforting words in her ear. It seemed to somewhat calm her.

Eventually, her sobs started to die down. Haley stayed in Nathan's arms for a couple more minutes until she developed the strength to pull away. She couldn't believe that she'd actually broken down and cried like that in front of him. Haley was so embarrassed. She initially tried to hold it in, but her emotions seemed to have taken on a mind of their own. Her brother's harsh words, Taylor's advice, and the feelings she was experiencing by being this close to Nathan were all weighing down on her. Haley felt like she was being pulled in so many different directions at the moment, and she didn't know which way to go.

"I'm sorry," Haley mumbled before standing up and walking onto the court. Her back remained towards him as she tried to wipe away the tear tracks on her face.

"Hales, it's ok," Nathan reassured her. He then got up and turned her around to face him.

Haley wiped at her cheeks some more. "God, I must look like such a mess."

"No, you don't."

"Even you're not that good of a liar," she tried to joke. Nathan shook his head while running one of his hands through her short, chocolate brown locks and later resting it on her cheek.

"You look beautiful. Even when you cry," he said softly. Nathan never said or thought that about any girl, but Haley was an exception. Sure, her mascara had smudged slightly, and her eyes were a little red. But she still looked like her normally graceful and poised self. Not to mention the fact that she was a good person. Hence, why she was probably so upset about what was going on between her and Matt. Her intelligence, too, was an automatic given. Haley was hands down the best tutor and one of the smartest people he knew. Overall, she fit his definition of beauty perfectly. And that was something he'd been noticing and thinking about a lot lately.

A second later, Nathan heard Haley take in a sharp breath. It was then that he tore his gaze away from hers to glance down at her lips. They looked the same as they did in May—the ideal shade of pink with a glossy sheen. He involuntarily wondered if they tasted the same. If they would still feel as soft as they did before while moving against his. Had they always been this damn enticing?

Haley immediately felt her breathing become heavier at Nathan's now dark blue eyes seemed to hone in on her mouth. The previous chill in the air and all of her problems were forgotten as her face burned up from his intense stare. His hand then gently caressed her cheek again before moving more towards her mouth. Haley closed her eyes and almost moaned out loud when his thumb swiped across her bottom lip.

"Nathan." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard it. And that was enough for him. Nathan couldn't take it anymore. He closed the tiny gap between them and kissed her. It was brief, gentle, and feather light, but it had his whole body fizzling and his head in a haze. Nathan then pulled away and stared back into her eyes questioningly.

"You shouldn't have done that," she murmured with an unreadable expression.

"I wanted to," he admitted.

She breathed out, "Yeah." The next thing the both of them knew, she'd thrown her arms around him and yanked his head back down to hers. Nathan couldn't help the low groan that escaped him as their lips fused together in a hot and fiercely passionate kiss. His arms, in turn, went to her waist before hauling her completely against him.

Haley moaned into Nathan's mouth when she felt his tongue run across her bottom lip begging for entrance. She quickly granted it to him while running one of her hands through his short, dark hair. A part of Haley knew that she should've pulled away right then. She already had enough drama to deal with. Being with Nathan like this would most definitely complicate things. But her body felt like it was on fire as he ravaged her mouth. It was the complete opposite of their kiss last May, and she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she loved every second of it. This was the kind of kiss she had wanted from him. Something that she'd always been waiting for. And in true to Nathan Scott fashion, he didn't disappoint.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, thank you all so much for the reviews and being patient while I dealt with my hectic life. I got all my assignments for school done, had an awesome weekend in New York, and my birthday the other day was great. I can't believe I'm 20. I feel old! lol! Anyway, I also want to thank those of you who voted in my poll. Most people, like me, seemed to not get the point of Naley having a nanny for Jamie. I mean, he's always either in school or with Brooke, Lucas, or Skills. If they want someone to clean and take care of things around the house, get a maid. I wouldn't really trust someone I didn't know with my kid, especially after the whole Carrie thing.  
**

**If you guys have seen the previews for the next episode, the male nanny they interview is really creepy looking. He's also totally vibing on Nathan, so he better lock the door the next time he showers. lol! But I loved last week's episode. I think my favorite part was watching how Nathan and Haley were completely stiff and away from each other on the couch in the beginning. Then, after awhile, they were all close and cute. The love/sexy scene was great, but way too short in my opinion. And I'm really excited for Nathan to explore basketball, and Haley getting back into music. I was wondering why Nathan couldn't try to train again and see how it goes. I also think music would allow Haley to spend more time with Jamie, since she could be home composing and work whenever she wants. So that's the end of my rant/thoughts. **

**I hope you guys like the chapter. I know a lot of you don't like Haley's brother Matt. He's supposed to be the annoying big brother, but there is a reason why he's so protective of Haley. You won't find that out until later, though. I have another week and a half of school, so I probably will update again after the semester is over. I've got tons of assignments and papers due this week. Once I'm done, I'll have a lot more time to myself to write. But enjoy the chapter and please review! Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Haley's breath was becoming heavier by the minute as Nathan's lips grazed her jaw line. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was actually standing in the middle of the River Court having a full blown make out session with Nathan. Haley let out another low moan as he started to trail down her neck. She then tightened her arms around him as she felt her legs start to weaken. Every kiss from Nathan seemed to heighten her senses and radiate throughout her body.

But as good as his ministrations on her neck felt, she didn't want to be parted from his lips for long. Haley pulled away a little bit before guiding his mouth back to hers. Nathan took the hint and eagerly claimed possession of her lips once more. In that moment, Haley had completely lost all sense of time and place. All she could focus on was Nathan. She'd been holding back and calculating every step she made and emotion she had for so long. To actually let go for once and do what she really wanted felt so freeing. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn't deny that Nathan still had a strong hold over her. He still occupied a large part of her heart, and Haley was tired of running away from that.

Nathan's grip on Haley increased as she started to lean into him. It all felt so surreal at the moment. For months she'd been in his mind and haunting his dreams. Haley was always someone just out of his reach. Back in May and when he was with Peyton, he couldn't let himself really go there. He couldn't even entertain the idea of starting something with Haley. It was never the right time or situation for them. Technically, that hadn't changed. There were still many things that they both had to deal with. But this time, however, Nathan couldn't deny that kissing Haley and just being around her felt right.

The pair continued to kiss passionately until air became a major issue. They pulled apart, but Haley was happy when Nathan kept his arms wrapped around her. Their gazes met as they tried to catch their breath. A moment later, Haley couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as one of Nathan's hands came up to caress her cheek. He returned the gesture before giving her another soft kiss on the lips.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to do that again," Haley muttered.

"Do what?"

"Kiss me."

Nathan smirked. "So was I." Haley's grin widened as they started to lean into each other once more. But just before their lips could touch, she heard her cell phone go off.

Haley reached into her pocket to retrieve it while mumbling, "Sorry."

"Who is it?"

"It's um…it's Chase," she said in a low and uneasy voice. It was then that the cloudy haze in Nathan's mind cleared and reality came crashing down upon him. _Chase. Haley's boyfriend._ He may be single, but she wasn't. Haley was still in a relationship. _Shit_, he thought as the guilt started to form in the pit of his stomach. He didn't really know Chase or trust him, but that didn't make what he did ok. Nathan hadn't been thinking. And it wasn't like he purposely wanted to put Haley in a situation like this. She was anything but the cheating type.

"I'm so sorry, Hales," Nathan apologized as he pulled away from her. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm an idiot." Haley rejected the call and let it go to voicemail before looking back up at Nathan. She could instantly hear the shame and regret starting to surface in his voice.

Haley shook her head. "No, you're not." If anyone should feel guilty right now, it was her. She'd been so caught up in the moment that she forgot that Nathan didn't know the truth about her and Chase. He didn't know that he wasn't the one to blame here.

"Haley, I wasn't thinking…again. I kissed you and just made you cheat on your boyfriend in the process."

"Nathan, you didn't make me do anything. It was my choice," Haley stated.

"But I still initiated it and crossed the line," Nathan pointed out.

"Look, Nathan, did you mean what you said before about wanting to kiss me?" she questioned.

He looked at her confused. "What?"

"When you said that you wanted to kiss me, did you really mean it or was it something that you just said in the heat of the moment?"

"Haley…" he began to protest.

"Please, Nathan," she urged. "I have to know. Did you mean it or not?"

Nathan was quiet for a moment before answering, "Yeah, I meant it."

"And if Chase, hypothetically, was out of the picture, would you even be having regrets right now?"

Nathan shook his head. "No." Haley nodded as she walked to close the small gap between them. She could feel her heart beating a mile a minute, but this was something that she knew she had to do.

"I have something really important to tell you," she announced. It was going to be incredibly hard, but Haley had to come clean about everything. She didn't like lying to Nathan. And she certainly didn't like the type of person all of this secrecy was turning her into. Haley didn't want any kind of relationship with him based on dishonesty.

Nathan stared at her curiously. "What is it?"

"Let's just sit down," Haley suggested before taking a seat on the pavement in the middle of the court. Nathan followed suit as he waited for her to continue.

"Hales," Nathan prodded when she didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. He didn't know what was going on, but her silence was making him nervous.

"I'm just going to start from the beginning," she stated. "I've always liked you, Nathan."

Nathan frowned. "I've always liked you, too."

"I know, but that's not what I mean. I _really_ liked you," Haley said with a pointed look.

"Oh," he mumbled when it finally clicked. "For how long?"

"Since my freshman year of high school." It was then that Nathan's already surprised expression changed into utter shock. _High school?_ That couldn't be possible. There's no way he could've missed that. There's no way he couldn't have noticed. Right?

"But…why didn't you ever say anything?" he questioned.

Haley shrugged. "What would've been the point? You were just like everyone else. All you ever saw me as was Matt and Taylor's little sister. I was 'Baby James.' It's not like anything I could've said or done would've changed that."

"That's not true," Nathan objected. "If I'd have known, I would've…"

"You would have what? Made a move?" she questioned with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Haley sighed. "Come on, Nathan. Don't try to rewrite history. I mean, you kissed me in May and totally freaked out."

"I didn't freak out," he denied even though he knew that she was right.

"Really? Because you took off awfully fast," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but I…"

"Look, the point is that after that kiss and I saw you with Peyton, I knew that I was holding onto something that I would never have. So I left early for L.A. with Brooke and decided that that summer I was going to let you go. I needed to get over these feelings," Haley explained. "That's when I met Chase. He was a really nice guy, and we got along well. We started dating after awhile, but it didn't work out. We realized afterward that we were better off as friends."

Nathan frowned confused. "Wait, I thought you said that he asked you to be his girlfriend before you came home."

"I know, but I…that's not what happened," she revealed.

"So, basically, you lied to me," Nathan concluded. "You've been lying to me." Haley could hear the edginess starting to creep into his voice. She then took a deep, calming breath and nodded solemnly.

"I can't believe this," he muttered while shaking his head. He trusted Haley. He never would've thought she was capable of such deceit. In a way, Nathan felt betrayed. She'd been playing him this whole time. "How could you do that?"

"Please, Nathan, before you get all angry at me, just let me explain," she pled.

"As far as I'm concerned, there's no explanation required. It's pretty obvious what you were trying to do," Nathan declared standing up. "I'm not stupid, Haley. It all makes sense now. The romantic stories, flowers, and phone calls. They were all fake. Is that why you agreed to tutor me? So that Chase could conveniently call or send you notes while I was around? To rub it in my face and make me jealous?!" Haley cringed as his voice grew with each word. By the end, he was shouting. "Or were you just trying to even the score?!"

Haley stood up to face him. "That wasn't it at all. I knew that things were going to be awkward between us when I came home. I just thought that if we were both somehow unavailable, then it would be a lot easier for us to go back to normal. The kiss would automatically be a thing of the past, and we'd have to move forward," she explained. "And I offered to tutor you, because you're my friend. I didn't even know when or if Chase was going to call or send me things. I had nothing to do with that."

"And how am I supposed to believe that, Haley?" Nathan questioned. "Everything out of your mouth since September has been a complete lie. And the last time I checked, friends didn't try to deceive or manipulate one another!"

"Damn it, Nathan, that's not what I was trying to do!" Haley exclaimed getting frustrated. "All I wanted was to get over you! I went to L.A. trying to forget these damn feelings I have for you, and I had no intention of pursuing them when I came home. I was fine with just being your friend. But then we started hanging out and getting close, and I let myself get sucked back in again. Then this whole thing with Chase just snowballed. It got completely out of control, and I'm sorry for that. I really am, and that's why I'm telling you this now. I care about you, and I don't want our friendship or anything else we have to be based on a lie."

Nathan looked at her for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Yeah, well, it's too late for that, Haley. It already is."

* * *

"What's the matter with you? You're so quiet today."

"That's because we're in a library, Brooke," Taylor answered.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "First of all, I know that, dufus. Second, I'm talking to Haley. And third, am I the only one noticing that she seems a little off today?"

"Look, she's had a rough couple of days. Just leave her alone."

"Taylor, she was upset before. But obviously there's something else going on now. She looks depressed. And if you don't believe me, when was the last time you saw her in sweatpants?"

"So? She…"

"Um, guys, I'm right here," Haley spoke up. She was trying to concentrate on doing some of her homework, but her friend and sister were making it virtually impossible with their bickering.

"Well, it's nice to know that you're still alive," Brooke commented. "You've been as silent as a corpse all morning. Now tell me what's wrong."

"Brooke," Taylor warned. "She doesn't want to talk about it now."

"Please, like you don't want to know," Brooke scoffed.

"That's not the point. If Haley doesn't feel like talking then…"

"Again, you guys, I'm right here," Haley interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Tutor Girl. It's just that you know I hate seeing you like this—especially when I have no idea what's wrong or how I can help."

"Believe me, you can't help with this," Haley mumbled.

"Try me."

Haley glanced between Brooke and Taylor's worried gazes before finally giving in. They were going to find out eventually anyway. "It's about Nathan."

"What happened?" Taylor prodded.

"We…um…we sort of kissed again," Haley revealed.

"WHAT?!" both Brooke and Taylor exclaimed. Haley cringed as their voices carried throughout the library.

"Will you guys keep it down," Haley admonished as everyone stared at them with either curiosity or annoyance.

"Sorry," Brooke apologized. "I wasn't expecting that. I mean, that is a direct violation of Operation Torture. Unless you did it to screw with the Kissing Bandit's head. Please tell me that was it."

"It wasn't," Taylor argued. "She took my advice and went for it. Right, Haley Bop?"

"Well…" Haley began when Brooke cut in.

"Wait a minute. How the hell do you know about Haley and Nathan?" she asked Taylor.

"I told Taylor everything the other night after Tric," Haley explained as Taylor nodded.

"Oh. Way to keep me informed, Tutor Girl," Brooke sulked.

"I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind. I forgot."

"And what exactly did you tell her to do?" Brooke questioned Taylor while folding her arms.

"She still likes Nathan. It's obvious that he has a thing for her, so I told Haley to go for it."

"What?! That's crazy," Brooke declared. "There's no way that Haley is still into Nathan. I'd know if she was. You don't have feelings for him anymore. Right, Tutor Girl?"

Haley hesitated for a moment. "Um, not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly?'"

"I kissed him, because I wanted to, Brooke," Haley answered.

"I told you," Taylor said with a triumphant smile.

"Again, why did I not know about this?"

"Well, maybe if you and Lucas came up for air once in a while, you'd know what's going on with your best friend," Taylor stated.

"We are not that bad," Brooke defended with a hard glare.

"Uh, yeah, you are."

"No, we're not."

"Yeah, you are."

"Oh, bite me, Taylor," Brooke snapped.

"I thought that was already Lucas' job," she quipped.

"Bitch, you need to…"

"Guys, knock it off," Haley scolded. She always had to play the peacemaker between these two when they got into one of their spats. Although it was usually a pain in the butt, it was oddly comforting that something in Haley's life at the moment had not changed. "Just let me explain what happened before the two of you jump down each other's throats. Alright?" Taylor and Brooke glanced at each other briefly before nodding. Haley then went into the entire story of everything that occurred last night between her and Nathan—starting with her meltdown in Nathan's arms and ending with the awkward and completely silent car ride back to her dorm.

"Damn it. Tutor Girl, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I am officially the worst best friend ever. I shouldn't have pushed Operation Torture on you," Brooke apologized once she'd finished. "If I'd known you were this uncomfortable and upset, I'd..."

"Brooke, this is not your fault," Haley assured her. "I didn't have to go along with it. That was my mistake."

"Well, I wish you would have told me that you still liked him. I would've backed off if you said that all of those feelings you had for him were still there."

"Tigger, I didn't say anything to you, because I was originally trying to move on," Haley explained. "It just…it ended up not working out that way."

"So, it sounds like Nathan was really pissed when he found out," Taylor commented.

Haley nodded. "He was, but that wasn't the worst of it."

"Why? Did something else happen?"

"No. It's just that I could've dealt with the anger. It's the disappointment that he had on his face that got to me," Haley said as she remembered the end of the night. One somber look from those baby blue eyes of his made Haley feel sick to her stomach because of what she'd done. It had also kept her up for the rest of the night as she replayed it over and over in her head.

"You probably shouldn't have told him," Taylor said. "I mean, it's not like Nathan would've found out or anything."

"But that's not the point, Tay. I'd still know that I was lying," she stated. "That just wouldn't sit right with me."

Taylor gave her arm a small squeeze. "You always were too nice."

"Look, Haley, do you want me to talk to him?" Brooke offered. "It was mine and Chase's crazy plan to begin with. Maybe if I just explain that to Nathan, then…"

"Thanks, Brooke, but I don't think that's going to help. Either way I betrayed his trust."

"Well, then, what are you going to do?"

Haley shrugged. "I don't know. Give him space, I guess. He texted me this morning to cancel our tutoring session tomorrow." She didn't really blame Nathan, though. She probably would've done the same thing if she found out one of her good friends had lied to her face.

"Or I could always kick his ass," Taylor suggested.

"Yeah, I agree with that one. Nobody hurts my best friend again and gets away with it," Brooke added. "Nathan may be tall and muscular, but one of my stilettos to the groin and he'll be as defenseless as a baby lamb."

Haley cracked a smile. Only Brooke could pull off a threat like that with a completely serious face. "Maybe some other time." Haley then checked her watch and started to gather her things. "Anyway, I have to go you guys. I've got a tutoring session with Tim in fifteen minutes."

"Haley, hold on a sec," Taylor stopped her. She then turned to look back at her sister. "It may not seem like it right now, but Nathan's going to come around. He's a guy, and you know how they can get when their pride has been wounded. Just give it some time."

Haley nodded. "I hope you're right, Tay." Nathan walking away from her the first time was bad enough. But having to live through it a second time, especially when her and Nathan had grown so close, Haley wasn't so sure her heart would survive it.

* * *

"I still can't believe you guys," Matt muttered as he pushed on the buttons of the Play Station controller a little harder than necessary.

"Look, we're sorry. What did you want us to do?" Lucas replied.

"You should have told me the damn truth."

"Matt, it wasn't our secret to tell. Haley wanted to tell you about Chase when she was ready. We had to respect that."

"I thought you guys were my friends. Jeez, talk about a lack of loyalty."

"Man, don't be a dick," Lucas admonished. "Of course we're your friends. That hasn't changed."

"Well, you've sure got a great way of showing it. You even talked to the delinquent behind my back."

"Damn it, Matt we…"

Nathan sighed as he laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. His brother and friend had been arguing back and forth for twenty minutes now about this whole Chase/Haley situation. Matt was still being stubborn, and Lucas, yet again, was trying to reason with him. It took everything inside of Nathan not to come right out and reveal to them that this whole dilemma was complete and utter bullshit. Haley wasn't with Chase. It was one big, perfectly crafted lie made to fool all of them—or more specifically, him.

Nathan tuned the two out as he thought, once again, about last night. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around all of the things that Haley told him. He'd been completely stunned when he found out that she'd had feelings for him for years. In fact, he actually found himself slightly disappointed that she hadn't told him sooner. He wondered what it would've been like or how he would've reacted if he had known. There was always something there under the surface between them. Originally, he'd thought that it was just their love to annoy and tease one another. He saw it as a playfulness of sorts. Now, however, Nathan was starting to wonder if it was something more. If that spark and attraction he'd suddenly felt for Haley in May had always been present. If they could have had something really great a long time ago and missed out, because he was too clueless and self-absorbed to notice.

There was no denying that he had very strong feelings for Haley now. She just had this way of getting into his head and driving him crazy. But at the same time, he felt a stillness and ease around her that he'd never experienced with anyone else. That's why he was filled with a whole other kind of disappointment at the moment. The one person Nathan felt that he could genuinely talk to and trust had deceived him. All of this time he'd believed that Haley was taken. That she'd moved on, and he'd have to do the same. That he couldn't have her or these feelings. Then to learn that it was all a ploy completely changed everything.

Nathan saw the tears and guilt in Haley's eyes as she revealed the truth. It was obvious that it wasn't an easy thing for her to tell him. And a part of him admired her for it. However, he'd be lying if he didn't admit that his confidence in her and their friendship had been shaken. He would think back to all of the times he was worried about Haley and how Chase treated her. All of the times he'd actually been jealous and even envious of this guy he didn't know. Now Nathan just felt like an idiot.

"…Nathan. Nathan. Nathan!" Lucas interrupted his troubled thoughts.

"Huh?" Nathan replied.

"Will you please tell Matt that he has nothing to worry about with this Chase guy?"

Nathan sighed. "You have nothing to worry about." It was the truth. Chase wasn't the guy Matt had to worry about. Technically, it was Nathan. But that was something Nathan would deal with another day. First he had to figure out just what was going to happen between him and Haley—if anything. All he knew was that he needed some time.

"Look, the way I see it is that you couldn't ask for a better situation. Think about it, Matt. Chase doesn't live here," Lucas stated.

Matt frowned. "So?"

"So it's not like Haley is always near this guy. They'll probably see each other only for a few weeks out of the entire year if they're lucky. Which means it's less of a chance for this Chase guy to pull something—although I highly doubt he'd do that. He's not as bad as you think he is." Matt was then silent for a few moments as he seemed to mull it over.

"You know, I never did think of it that way," he declared with satisfied smile. "Besides, long distance relationships are hard. It probably won't even last."

Lucas shrugged in response. "I don't know. All I'm saying is that this is an opportunity for you to start getting used to Haley seriously dating someone without worrying about it 24/7. Because whether you like it or not, Matt, you can't protect her forever. Haley's eighteen. She's old enough to make her own decisions and choose who she wants in her life. You're going to have to accept that."

Matt sighed dejectedly. "I know. It just sucks. There are a lot of assholes out there, and you know how she is. Haley's so innocent and trusting. I don't want her to be taken advantage of."

"Well, Haley's a smart girl. I'm sure she'll be fine. But you know that we're all watching out for her anyway. If we thought she was in any kind of danger, we'd tell you or step in. Right, Nate?" Nathan looked over at his brother and Matt before nodding silently. They didn't even know the half of it.

* * *

"Tim, this is really good," Haley declared as she read over his research paper. The two were in the Academic Enhancement Center just finishing up their session.

"You think so?" he questioned with an excited look on his face. Haley smiled. She always loved it when his face lit up and showed a sense of accomplishment.

"Yup. You're doing a lot better. I'm proud of you, Tim."

He gave her a beaming smile in response. "Thanks, Tutor Girl. You know, I think you're the only person who's ever actually said that to me."

"Really?" she asked surprised. Haley knew that many people looked down on Tim and saw him as a screw up, but he did have his shining moments. In fact, Haley was sure that Tim would act differently if everyone gave him more encouragement. "Not even your parents?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"I'm sorry, Tim," Haley said as she reached over to give his hand a gentle squeeze. "But you shouldn't listen to everyone else. You are doing so well, and I know that you've got a lot of potential to improve even more. Just keep having confidence in yourself, and you'll get there."

"I will," Tim replied before pulling her into a tight hug. "It means a lot coming from a genius like you, Haley."

She laughed. "I'm not a genius. I'm just a girl who cares about her friend." Tim nodded as he looked down and fidgeted a little bit with his hands.

"What's the matter?" Haley asked.

"Well, I kind of have something that I want to ask you," he announced. "I've sort of been thinking about it a lot lately."

"What is it?"

"You've always been there to help and support me, Tutor Girl. You'll never know how much I appreciate it. I mean, I wouldn't even be in college or playing ball right now if it wasn't for you," Tim stated. "You're also probably the only other person besides Nathan who doesn't treat me like an idiot."

"Because you're not," she told him. Tim cracked a smile as Haley stared at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"Tim, what is it?" Haley prodded when he remained silent. He was starting to sweat a little bit—which he usually did when he was nervous.

"I was wondering if you maybe…sort of…kinda…"

Haley laughed at how flustered he was getting at the moment. "Tim, just say it."

"I was wondering if you would go out with me. Like on a date," he finally blurted out. Haley's eyes widened as her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Oh." She definitely did not see that one coming.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everyone! So I actually found some time to write this next chapter for you. I don't know how it happened because I have tons of schoolwork and I'm sick on top of that, but who cares? You get another update out of me. lol! Just so you know, I made yet another poll. I think I'm going to make a new one every week, because I think they're fun. So check those out if you want. Also, can I just say how freaking awesome last night's episode was! I loved all the Naley and Jamie moments. Nathan's "God, my girl is hott" had me laughing out loud. I literally jumped out of my seat when I found out Deb is going to watch Jamie, too. That's so much better than getting another nanny. I felt bad for Nathan, though, in this episode. He really looked like he was going to cry when he couldn't beat Quentin or make those shots. Hopefully, he'll get better. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Haley searched through the clothes in her closet trying to find the right outfit. _I really need to do some more shopping with Brooke_, she thought. It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to fit her mood. But nevertheless, she had to choose something. Tim would be by in about an hour and half to pick her up for their "date." Haley had been shocked when he'd initially asked her out the other day. They'd always just been friends. She'd never even seen Tim act or hint at wanting something more. It was a couple of minutes later, though, that Tim explained his whole date proposal. Once Haley heard what he had in mind, she'd breathed a sigh of relief and had no problem agreeing to go out with him.

Haley sighed as she, once again, searched for something nice to wear. This whole night meant a lot to Tim, and she didn't want to disappoint him. Plus, she could use a night out. Besides doing homework and tutoring, Haley had spent most of the weekend thinking about Nathan. They still hadn't talked, since she told him the truth Thursday night. Not knowing what he was thinking or feeling was driving Haley nuts. But she was trying to do like Taylor said and give Nathan some space. However, that didn't stop her from wishing that he would call or stop by the room. She missed talking and spending time with him, and a part of her couldn't help but hope that he felt the same way.

It was a few more minutes before she decided on wearing her bright blue, belted, button-up top with some form-fitting jeans. They were going out to the movies and dinner, so it was the perfect ensemble. It was cute but not overly dressy. After she was dressed, Haley walked over to the mirror and started to fix her hair. Just as she was about to use her curling iron, she heard a knock on the door. Haley looked over at the clock. It couldn't be Tim. It was too early. For a moment, she felt her heart flutter with the prospect of it being Nathan. But that was soon shot to Hell once she looked through the small peep hole of the door.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" Haley questioned. To say that she was shocked to see him standing in the entryway of her dorm room looking all uncomfortable and nervous would've been an understatement.

"It's been a few days. I was wondering if we could talk," he replied before eying her outfit. "Unless you're going somewhere."

"Well, I'm supposed to go out with a friend of mine. But I do have some time." She then stood aside to let him come in.

"Wow, you can tell which side of the room is Brooke's," Matt commented with a small smile. Haley followed Matt's gaze to see the massive piles of clothes, books, and fabric that Brooke needed for her textile classes. Everything was all scattered on her desk, bed, and the floor.

"Well, you know how Brooke can only function in pure chaos," she joked. How her friend managed to find everything and still have time to get her work done was one mystery Haley had yet to solve.

"Apparently." A weird silence then seemed to develop between the two. It was a couple more minutes before Haley broke it, unable to stand it anymore.

"So, um, you wanted to talk."

"Yeah. I, uh, I want to apologize."

"You do?" Haley questioned slightly surprised.

Matt nodded. "I might've overreacted a little bit about the whole Chase thing." Haley gave him an incredulous look. He then added, "Ok, so I overreacted a lot. But it was only because I was so shocked. I never thought that you'd lie or keep something secret like that. You know I worry about you."

"Matt, I didn't say anything because of that. I get that you're just trying to look out for me. I really do," Haley said. "But sometimes it's just too much. I'm not a kid anymore, and you can't keep treating me like one. I can make my own decisions and judgments about people."

"I know that, but…"

Haley shook her head before cutting in, "No, I don't think that you do. Just because you're two years older than me, it doesn't automatically make you wiser or more mature. In fact, it's really not that big of an age gap. I may not be street smart and all of that, but I'm not stupid. If Chase or anyone else ever made me feel uncomfortable or tried to force me into something, I wouldn't stay with them. And I find it really insulting that you would think otherwise."

"Haley, I don't think you're stupid," Matt objected.

"Good. Then you should have no problem trusting in my decision and giving Chase or any other guy I may date in the future a chance," she declared.

"Look, that's why I'm here. I mean, I'm not going to lie. The fact that you're dating a senior from L.A. still bothers me," he admitted. "But I'm at least willing to try and meet you halfway. Maybe you can…"

Haley shook her head. "There is no halfway, Matt. Either you trust me or you don't."

Matt was silent for a few moments before finally saying, "Alright."

"'Alright,' what?" Haley prodded.

"I trust you."

"And?"

"I'll back off."

"And?"

"I'll…give Chase a chance?" he said unsure.

Haley nodded. "Exactly."

"Are you happy now?" he sighed.

Haley gave him a beaming smile. "Extremely."

"The things I do for you, little sis," Matt muttered.

"Eh, you love me."

"Unfortunately."

"I'm glad we have an understanding," Haley quipped before smacking him playfully—relieved that things seemed ok between them for the time being. "Nice talk, MJ. Now go because I have to finish getting ready."

"First of all, I _hate _it when you call me that. That's totally a girl's name. And second, I see how it is," Matt teased. "You just get what you want out of me and send me on my way. Is that it?"

"I happen to like my little nickname for you. And I'm only sending you away, because it takes a lot of time and preparation for a girl to get ready."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," he said in disbelief. "I think you've been hanging around way too much with Taylor." Haley laughed as she led Matt to the door.

"Hey, she's not that bad."

"Please, I lent her fifty bucks last week because there was a pair of shoes at the mall that she just 'had to have.' She promised to pay me back the next day, but obviously she just took the money and ran."

"Come on, MJ, you totally set yourself up for that one," Haley laughed. "Taylor still owes me for that ice cream cone I bought her with my allowance in the fourth grade."

"Jeez, that's brutal," he teased.

Haley nodded her head and sighed dramatically. "I know."

"Ok, well, I'm going to go hunt Taylor down. I'm taking Solaris out tonight, and I need some cash."

"Good luck with that," Haley joked.

"Thanks," Matt replied. He then turned to leave but paused and looked back at Haley. "There's just one more thing before I go."

"What is it?"

"Promise me that you won't lie to me like that again, Haley. You're so much better than that, and I don't want secrets between us." Haley looked away momentarily as her stomach clenched at his words. She wanted to come clean with her brother, too. She really did. But deep down, Haley just knew that it would be a huge mistake. It was obvious that it was already a challenge for Matt to make those other promises tonight about Chase. If he ever found out that it was Nathan she really wanted, he'd flip. She was always off limits to Matt's friends. If they ever crossed that line, he'd surely see it as the ultimate betrayal.

She'd thought briefly about calling the whole thing off and just saying that she and Chase had "broken up." It would certainly spare her all of this continuous stress. But if she did that, Haley knew that she'd most likely receive a big, fat "I told you so" from Matt. And then he'd really doubt her judgment when it came to guys. For right now, it was better if he kept believing that she was with Chase. Baby steps always worked best with Matt. At least this way he'd have to learn to respect her decision. Then maybe down the line, if something did ever happen with Nathan, God willing, Matt wouldn't be so adverse to the idea.

"I promise," Haley finally replied. It literally took all of the strength she could muster to look her brother in the eye and say it with a straight face.

* * *

Nathan pulled his gym bag up higher on his shoulder as he made his way into his dorm. He'd just spent the last two hours working out and was now exhausted. But that had been the plan. His mind was on overload these last couple of days, and he just couldn't seem to get it together. If he kept busy and was too tired to think, maybe he'd get some peace and a decent night's sleep for once. A few minutes later, Nathan finally arrived at his room. He then unlocked the door and walked in.

"Hey, Nate," Lucas greeted. He was sitting on his bed with Brooke cuddled up next to him. It looked like they were watching a movie. "Were you at the gym all this time?"

"Yeah. I figured I'd get in an extra workout or something," he answered. Lucas nodded as Brooke continued to eye him. Nathan made sure to avoid her gaze. She was Haley's best friend. There was no doubt in his mind that she knew everything that had happened between them a few days ago. She was Brooke. Getting the dirt on people and always knowing what was going on was what she did best.

"I'll probably go tomorrow," Lucas declared before turning to Brooke. "Look, I have to run down the hall real quick and talk to this kid from my class. When I come back, did you want to get some dinner?"

Brooke nodded and gave him a small smile. "Sure. That sounds good." She then leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips before he left. Nathan, already used to their constant PDAs, ignored them and plopped down onto his bed. Within seconds, his eyes were closed. He could feel himself starting to drift off. But just as he was about to fully succumb to unconsciousness, he felt a hard object hit him in the stomach and knock the wind out of him. Nathan's eyes immediately snapped open as he sat up. He rubbed the now sore spot and looked around. A second later, he spotted the remote control that had previously been in Brooke's hand on the floor by his bed.

"Did you just chuck that at me?" Nathan questioned her.

Brooke shrugged. "Maybe."

"Damn, Brooke, that actually hurt. Why the hell would you do that?"

"Gee, I don't know," she retorted sarcastically while pretending to think about it. "Probably because you're a big ass."

"What?"

Brooke scoffed while standing up to face him. "Don't play dumb with me. Do you even have the slightest clue of what you're doing to Haley right now?" Just as he figured, she knew the whole story.

"Brooke," Nathan groaned following suit. "Don't go there, ok?"

"Oh, I will. I've kept my mouth shut long enough when it comes to you. I know all about what happened in May. You're just lucky I didn't kick your ass back then. But I'll be damned if I let you hurt Haley a second time."

"Brooke, Haley was the one who lied to me," Nathan pointed out. "I trusted her, and she completely took advantage of that."

"That's bullshit, and you know it," she retorted. "Haley came clean and told you the truth about Chase and her feelings for you. She didn't have to do that, but she did anyway. That was very hard for her, and you just completely threw it back in her face."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Be happy about it?!" he snapped.

"Yeah, you were."

"And why the hell would you think that?" he questioned. It didn't make sense. How was he supposed to be happy about being deceived?

Brooke shook her head. "Men are so stupid. Nathan, you just found out that the girl you like is not only completely available and single, but also likes you back. Haley totally gave you the green light. What could be more perfect than that?!"

"So, what? I'm just supposed to forget about this big plan she concocted with Chase? She played me, Brooke."

"First off, you should know that it wasn't Haley's idea. Chase and I actually came up with the whole 'pretend boyfriend' thing and kind of talked Haley into going along with it. And all of those love notes and phone calls she got were planned by Chase and me. Haley didn't know they were coming, and she pretty much yelled at us when they did," Brooke explained. "Your friendship and her feelings for you are what's real. She never faked that. And if you can't see that or accept it, then you're an even bigger butthead than I originally thought." Nathan was silent for a few minutes as he let Brooke's words sink in.

"How is she?" he eventually asked.

"She's hurt, but she's trying to give you your space," Brooke answered. "She really misses you, though."

Nathan nodded. "Sounds familiar." Even though he'd been mad and disappointed in Haley—which he was now starting to feel about himself after talking to Brooke—he couldn't deny that he missed her like crazy, too. It felt weird not waking up early yesterday morning, so that he could make it on time to their tutoring session. He'd never really realized just how much he looked forward to spending time with her—even if it was to do school work.

"Look, Nathan, I can understand how everything with Haley must have been confusing for you in May," Brooke said in a softer tone. "And then to find out all of this now, it's probably a lot to take in. But you can't run from this again or push Haley away. Not if you really want her. This is the second time she's given you complete control of her heart. If you don't get over your pride and whatever fears you have that are holding you back and step up this time, I can guarantee that there will not be a next time. Haley is the strongest person I know, but even she can only take so much." Nathan stared at Brooke intently as he processed what exactly she was saying.

"Hey, Pretty Girl, you ready?" Lucas asked as he entered the room. Brooke tore her gaze away from Nathan to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go," she replied while grabbing her purse off of his bed.

"Nate, did you want to join us?" Lucas inquired.

"No, um, I think I'm just going to hang around here for awhile," he declined. "Thanks anyway, though."

Lucas nodded. "Sure." He and Brooke then made their way to the door. But just before they completely left, Brooke turned around to give Nathan one more pointed look. He sighed when they were finally gone and plopped back onto his bed. Sleep was pretty much out of the question by now. His thoughts were starting to wander again. It had been three days since he'd seen or talked to Haley. Ever since May, all he seemed to be doing was avoiding this moment and suppressing these feelings. It wasn't solving anything. And it certainly wasn't what he really wanted. Nathan wanted Haley. He wanted to see if this thing between them could turn into something really amazing.

Brooke's words then replayed over in his head_. "Haley came clean and told you the truth about Chase and her feelings for you. She didn't have to do that, but she did anyway… Your friendship and her feelings for you are what's real. She never faked that." _Nathan sighed. Brooke was right. He really was an ass. He saw with his own eyes how nervous and guilty Haley appeared as she revealed everything to him. She could've gotten away with not telling him. There really was no way for him to find out she lied. Haley could've just said that she and Chase broke up, so that she could get together with him. But she didn't. She had enough respect for him and their relationship to tell him the truth. She didn't want a lie like that hanging over their heads. And if that wasn't a prime example of the honest and loyal Haley James he knew all of these years, then Nathan didn't know what was.

* * *

Haley had just finished touching up her hair when she heard a knock on the door for the second time that night. She looked at the clock and was happy to note that Tim was right on time. _So far so good_, she thought. Haley then quickly grabbed her purse and checked to make sure that she had everything she needed. After that was all set, she finally answered the door.

"Peyton?" Haley questioned when she saw the curly blonde standing on the other side. _What is it with all of these unexpected visitors tonight? _

"Hey, Haley. I'm sorry to just drop by. I…um…I was going to call, but I figured you probably wouldn't answer," she said.

"Peyton…"

"And before you slam the door in my face, I just want to say how sorry I am for what I did last week at Tric. I honestly didn't mean to tell everyone about you and Chase. I was drunk, which isn't an excuse, but it did contribute to my lapse in judgment. Anyway, if I could do things differently, I would. I'm really so sorry," Peyton apologized.

Haley stared at Peyton for a minute or so before replying, "Apology accepted." From the remorseful look on her face and all of the messages she'd been leaving lately, Haley knew that Peyton regretted her actions.

"Really?" Peyton asked surprised. "Just like that." Haley stepped aside and motioned for Peyton to come in.

"Peyton, I'm not going to kill you," she joked when the blonde hesitated slightly.

"You sure about that?"

"Just get in here." Peyton gave her a teasing smile before entering the room.

"Whoa, what happened in here?" she asked while staring across the room.

Haley laughed and answered, "Brooke."

"Yeah, I guess that explains it," Peyton quipped. A silence then seemed to descend upon them once the moment was over.

"Look, Peyton, I appreciate the apology," Haley eventually spoke up. "And I'm sorry for not getting back to you. I've just had a lot to deal with since that night."

"Please, Haley, don't you apologize. It was because of my big, fat, drunken mouth that you're in this mess," she stated.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I stopped being mad at you last week," Haley said. "I know that you didn't mean it. Crap happens."

"I really don't deserve it, but thanks."

"No problem. Besides, Taylor really didn't take the news that badly," Haley told her. "And Matt and I just worked things out earlier."

"Really? So he's ok now with you and Chase being together?" Peyton curiously inquired.

"No, but he agreed to back off and try to give Chase a chance."

"Well, that's a start."

"I know," Haley agreed. "So, what about you? We haven't talked. Is everything ok with you now?" She knew that Peyton hadn't exactly been herself since the breakup with Nathan. Haley figured it was probably why Peyton got so drunk at Tric that night in the first place.

Peyton nodded. "I'm doing better. I've been keeping myself busy and hanging out with Jake when I get a chance."

Haley quirked an eyebrow. "Really? And how is that going?"

"Good. And don't think I don't know that look, James."

"What look?" she questioned innocently.

"The 'I-think-there's-something-more-going-on' look."

"Is there?" Haley prodded teasingly.

"No, Jake and I are just friends," Peyton stressed.

"For now," Haley added.

"I'm taking a break from guys at the moment."

"Well, for the record, I saw the way you two were dancing at Tric, and there definitely seemed to be some sparkage between you guys."

"What? There was no sparkage."

"Oh, yes there was," Haley laughed as Peyton got more flustered.

"Whatever. Like I said, we're just friends."

Haley shrugged. "Ok. I'll believe that for now."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "You're really annoying. You know that?"

"All part of my charm," Haley kidded.

"Speaking of, you're looking all put together at the moment. You going out somewhere?" Peyton questioned while eying her outfit.

"I guess you could say that," Haley mumbled.

"Meaning?"

"Nothing"

"Ok, you do realize that being all secretive just makes me want to know even more, right?"

Haley sighed. "Alright. But if I tell you, do you promise not to get drunk and tell everyone?"

"Been there, done that," Peyton joked.

Haley rolled her eyes playfully before saying, "I'm going on a date with Tim." Peyton just stared at her in complete shock. However, it wasn't long before her silence was followed by a loud and uncontrollable burst of laughter.

"Are you serious?"

"Will you stop laughing? It's not funny!" Haley objected.

"I'm sorry," Peyton said as she tried to calm herself down. "It's just that you and Tim…oh man."

"It's not like it sounds. I'm just doing him a favor."

"What kind of favor?" she asked while wiggling her eyebrows. "Because I'm not sure Chase would approve."

"Ok, ew!" Haley exclaimed. "It's nothing like that."

"So you don't want a piece of The Tim?"

"No," she declared firmly.

"I'm just checking," Peyton replied as another knock sounded on the door.

"You suck," Haley stated while shaking her head. Brooke had busted her up about the whole thing earlier, too.

"From what I've heard, so does The Tim." Haley shuddered and glared at Peyton before finally opening up the door.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Tutor Girl," Tim apologized slightly out of breath. "I realized that I forgot to the flowers. Here." Haley watched as he pulled the small bouquet out from behind his back. They were yellow tulips that still had some roots and dirt connected to the end of them. "I picked them myself." It was then that Haley recognized them as the flowers that were planted all along the pathway leading to the front of her dorm building. _Well, I guess I should give him points for quick thinking_, Haley thought. Although, she could just picture the gardener's pissed off face tomorrow when he came to tend to his "babies" as she often heard him call them. The guy was a real weirdo.

"Thanks, Tim," Haley replied. She then heard Peyton try to hold back a snort in the background.

"So, are you ready, milady?" Tim questioned in suave voice while holding his arm out to her.

Haley gave him the nicest smile she could muster. "Sure."

"You guys have fun. And don't worry, Haley. I'll lock up," Peyton said. "I'm sure you want to get going on soon as possible." Haley gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. But as soon as Tim started to lead them out of the room, she couldn't resist sending Peyton a not-so-nice finger gesture behind her back. However, much to Haley's dismay, it only seemed to make her friend laugh even louder.

* * *

Nathan couldn't get to Haley's dorm fast enough. He'd been laying in his room for an hour still just thinking about the situation when he realized that he was tired of it. He didn't want to think about Haley anymore. Thinking is what got him into this mess. Thinking is the reason why he ran away from Haley in the first place. No, Nathan didn't want to think about or analyze this situation anymore. He wanted to act. To feel. To just be with the one person who had become such a large and important part of his life.

A few minutes later, Nathan finally made it to Haley's building and sprinted up the stairs to her room. He knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. He tried again—just in case Haley maybe had her earphones in and couldn't hear him. Still no one answered. _Great_, Nathan thought dejectedly. _I missed her again._

"Hey, Nate. What's up?" he heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see Jake and Peyton heading his way down the hall.

"Um, nothing much," he replied.

"Are you looking for Haley?" Peyton questioned.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, do you know where she is?"

"Um, I think…" she began when Jake cut in.

"Oh, I talked her and Tim briefly on their way out. They're going to dinner and a movie."

"Do you know when they're getting back?"

"No," Jake answered. "Probably later on based on what I saw."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Nothing," Peyton cut in quickly. "Come on, Jake, it's time to watch these movies we rented."

"I don't know. It was kind of weird. Did Chase and Haley break up or get into a fight?" Jake continued.

"Why would you say that?"

"I heard this Borat movie is hilarious," Peyton interrupted.

"Well, first off, Tim was wearing a tie," Jake said.

Nathan frowned. "A tie?" _Since when does Tim get dressed up?_

"Yeah, and Haley looked nice. She and Tim were practically holding hands. I think he even gave her flowers," Jake said. "I mean, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that they were on a date."

"What?" Nathan questioned in disbelief. He had to be joking. There's no way that Tim would actually ask her out. There's no way that Haley would agree. Right?

"I know. It's crazy," Jake commented.

Peyton glared at Jake while shaking her head. "Oh crap."

_"If you don't get over your pride or whatever fears you have that are holding you back and step up this time, I can guarantee that there will not be a next time. Haley is the strongest person I know, but even she can only take so much."_

"You know what? Thanks. I think I'll just stop by and see her another time. I'll see you guys later," Nathan said and took quickly off before they could even reply. Nathan couldn't help but wonder if Brooke was right. Did he push Haley too far away this time? Had she given up on them? On him? Did she actually go on a date with Tim? Nathan felt his fists clench at that. He couldn't even wrap his head around the idea that Tim asked her out in the first place. Just the thought of him being out with Haley and touching her had his blood boiling. He had to find them. He had to tell Haley his feelings and that he wanted her before it was too late. Nathan had already let her slip through his fingers once. He sure as Hell wasn't going to make that mistake again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys, thank you all for the reviews last chapter. I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner. I was working on my other upcoming fic and the rest of my schoolwork. Classes finally ended for me yesterday. Now all I have is a couple of exams, and I'm done. I can't wait! Also, how freaking cute was the last episode?! Although it was seriously lacking Naley (I hope we get some type of couply scenes next week), I loved the Brucas we got. It's such a shame they're not together, because they both seem to want love and a family. They were almost as cute as Nathan, Haley, and Jamie together. And I really wish that Peyton would pull it together. She used to be so strong and independent. Now all she does is mope about Lucas. I, personally, don't think it's healthy at this point. Even Haley and Brooke managed to keep it together when they were separated from Nathan and Lucas. I wish they could bring Jake back. I honestly think Peyton was happiest and at her best with him.  
**

**My new poll this week is actually about which woman is right for Lucas, since it seems like he's being pulled in so many different directions this season. So if you guys would like to check that out, that'd be great. I'd also just like to mention how creepy that clown was. I can't believe Deb. It was funny that she liked him, but I hate clowns and have no idea how she could be attracted to him. I shuddered every time he was on screen. Poor Haley. I was waiting for her to run to Nathan, which they didn't show but should have. Anyway, that's the end of my rant. I hope you all really enjoy this chapter. So please read and review! Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

"Haley, I am so sorry," Tim apologized.

"Tim, it's alright."

"I'm a moron. I wasn't even looking," he said while handing her another napkin.

"Tim, you just need to relax," Haley instructed as she dabbed at her now stained shirt. "You're all jumpy." They were at the restaurant having dinner. Tim had been talking to her about something having to do with the team. Haley could tell that he was nervous. He couldn't sit still and had been dropping and knocking over everything.

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. "I know. Sorry. The Tim just isn't used to this kind of thing."

"Well, that's why I'm here. So, in case you don't already know, spilling your soda on a girl isn't something you want to do."

"Who am I kidding? I'm not cut out for this," he groaned while putting his head in his hands.

"Hey, I don't want to hear any of that," Haley ordered. "You are a great catch, and you are doing fine…well, at least until the soda incident. But you just need to take a couple of deep breaths. Ok?" Tim nodded and did as Haley instructed. "Feel better?"

"Yes, actually."

"Good."

"Thanks again for doing this, Tutor Girl. It really means a lot. I'm going to need all of the help I can get."

Haley smiled and placed her hand over his. "That's what friends are for."

"Would you like to get dessert?" Tim offered. "We still have some time before the movie."

"Actually, how about we just get something at the movies?" Haley suggested. "I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than this place."

"You don't have to worry about the money, Tutor Girl. It's my treat."

Haley shook her head. "No, it's fine. Really. I could actually go for some Reese's Pieces."

"I was always a Goobers man myself," he joked causing Haley to laugh.

"Then how about we leave this ridiculously expensive restaurant and get the good stuff."

"Fine by me. I can't even pronounce the desserts on this menu. What's tia-ra-misus?" he questioned while trying to sound it out.

Haley frowned as she leaned over to see what Tim was reading. "It's pronounced tiramisu, Tim," Haley corrected with an amused smile.

"Not uh. That's not a dessert. I heard it was some weird sexual thing."

"No, it's not," Haley laughed. "Where did you get that from?"

"They said it in Sleepless in Seattle." Haley raised an eyebrow at that. _Tim is just full of surprises tonight._

"When did you watch Sleepless in Seattle?"

"I was bored one night, and it was on."

"Did you like it?" she questioned curiously.

"Yeah, I did. And don't give me that look, Tutor Girl. Unlike other guys, The Tim does have a sensitive side," he proudly proclaimed.

Haley had to suppress another laugh. He was too much. "Actually, Tim, I'm impressed. There are not many guys who enjoy a good chick flick."

"I know. It's tragic," he said while shaking his head. "Besides, they don't know what they're missing. Meg Ryan is hott."

That time, Haley did laugh. "You're such a guy." Tim soon joined in before requesting the bill from the waiter.

"How much do I owe you?" Haley inquired as she pulled out her billfold.

"Tutor Girl, what kind of date would I be if I let you pay?"

"But…" she tried to protest.

"No, The Tim is taking care of it." It was a few more minutes before they could finally leave. The pair made their way to his car and joked around on their way to the movie theater. Haley couldn't deny that she was having a good time with Tim. Things had been a little awkward in the beginning. But now that he was more relaxed, the whole date seemed to be flowing more smoothly.

"Thank you," Haley said when they arrived at the theater. She hadn't expected Tim to open the door for her to get out. He'd been doing it all night, but it still seemed to surprise her.

"You're welcome." He then held his arm out so she could loop hers through his. Haley accepted with a kind smile and let him lead her into the building.

"So, you're sure you don't mind seeing Baby Mama?" Tim questioned as they got in line to get their tickets.

Haley shook her head. "Are you kidding? I love Tina Fey!"

"Me, too. She's da bomb. But I was just making sure." Haley gave him another smile. She didn't think she'd ever seen Tim be so considerate. Tim returned the gesture a minute later before it was their turn in line.

"Ok, why don't you go get us seats while I wait in line for the snacks?" Tim proposed as he handed Haley her ticket. Haley looked over at the concession stand and saw all of the people waiting to be served.

"You sure you don't want some help?"

"No, The Tim's got it," he declared confidently while popping his collar. "You just find us some kick-ass seats, Tutor Girl."

"Ok," Haley laughed. She then watched as Tim made his way to the line. She giggled again when she saw him cut off a five year old to get in line first.

"Only The Tim," she mumbled to herself. She then made her way down the corridor to the theater. The place was filling up, so Haley quickly grabbed an empty seat in the center of the middle row and saved the spot next to her for Tim. It was probably going to be a few minutes before he joined her, since the line had been so long. Until then, Haley focused her attention on the screen. She always loved the trivia questions and word scrambles they had up before the movie started. It was several minutes later that Tim finally made his way into the theater. He was carrying a big snack tray which seemed to be filled with tons of candy, popcorn, and a couple of drinks.

"Oh my God, Tim, how much junk food did you get?" Haley laughed as she eyed everything.

"I couldn't help it. It all looked so good I just couldn't make up my mind," he answered while taking his seat. "Oh, and I got us blue slushies. I figure that if I somehow have another spastic moment and spill it on your shirt, at least it will match."

"Well, that was very thoughtful of you," Haley commented amused.

"I try," he joked. "And here's your precious Reese's Pieces. You can have the popcorn and other candy, too. But make sure to take a lot early on, because The Tim does have the tendency to stuff his face during movies."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"No prob. Ooh, previews!" Tim exclaimed excitedly as the lights started to dim and the picture formed on the screen. Haley watched as he fidgeted in his seat and positioned the tray between them. Afterward, he took a big handful of popcorn and started chomping on it as he laughed at the previews. Haley smiled. One thing was for sure. Tim was definitely not a boring date.

"Tim," Haley whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"What is it? Did you want something else besides Reese's Pieces?" he asked. He then offered one of the boxes to her. "Goober?"

"No thanks. I just wanted you to know that you're a really great date. I don't think that you're going to have any trouble," she told him.

He then looked away from the screen to face her. "Really?" Haley smiled when she saw the hopeful expression on his face.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Sweet."

"Just watch out for liquid beverages, chewing with your mouth open, referring to yourself in the third person, and, whatever you do, do not try to grope me during the movie. Other than that, you'll be all set," she teased.

"Damn, Tutor Girl, you totally just spoiled my master plan," he joked back.

"You'll live," she replied. "Oh, there's one more thing. I really like…"

"Nathan?"

"Excuse me?" she questioned back shocked. _What, does he know, too, now? Damn it, can't anyone keep a secret anymore?!_

"Nathan," Tim repeated while nodding to the left. Haley whipped her head around to see Nathan's tall figure making its way down the row towards them.

"Hey, guys," he greeted before taking the empty seat next to Haley. "What's up?"

Tim shot a nervous glance to Haley before answering, "Um, nothing much. We're just hanging out. You?"

"I just came to see the movie. I didn't know that you guys were going to be here, though," he stated. Haley's eyes narrowed as she stared at him with a mixture of shock and suspicion. She hadn't seen Nathan in three days. And now, all of sudden, he was sitting right next to her in a dark movie theater during her date with Tim. She didn't know if it was pure coincidence or something completely different.

"Is it ok if I join you?" Nathan asked as he settled into his seat.

"Well…" Tim began to say when Nathan cut him off.

"Good. Ooh, popcorn. Do you mind?" Haley stared at him dumbfounded as he reached over to grab a handful of popcorn. Tim then shot her a confused look of his own. Haley shrugged before returning her attention to Nathan.

"Nathan, what are you really doing here?" she questioned softly so only he could hear.

"I told you. I came to see the movie."

"Really? So you just happened to show up at the same movie, at exactly the same time, and coincidentally found Tim and me. Is that it?"

Nathan kept his eyes on the screen as he answered, "Basically." Haley stared at him again. She didn't believe that story for a second. He was being way too nonchalant and intrusive at the moment. Something was up.

"Whatever," she mumbled. She then turned her attention back to the previews.

"Why? Did you want me to leave?" Nathan inquired.

Haley didn't look at him. She just kept her eyes on the screen. "It's fine."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to spoil your date," he retorted in a flippant tone. Haley's eyes widened as her head whipped around to face him.

"What?"

"I must say, you guys do look cute together. It's a wonder you didn't hook up sooner." Haley's eyes narrowed at his edgy voice.

"First of all, it's not like that," Haley explained. "And second, is that why you're here? To spy on me?!"

"Well, when Jake told me about your hot date with Tim, I had a hard time believing it. So I figured it'd be best if I came and saw it for myself."

"Wait…Jake told you? When did you see him?"

"A couple of hours ago when I stopped by your dorm room."

Haley felt her heart leap in her chest at that. "Why did you stop by my dorm room?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Nathan said.

"About?" she prodded.

Nathan shrugged. "Stuff."

Haley frowned. "What kind of stuff?"

"It's not important right now. Just go back to enjoying your date," he mumbled. He then started to watch the beginning of the movie. Haley, however, kept her gaze on him. A satisfied smile formed on her face a couple of minutes later.

"You're jealous," she whispered. It was so obvious that he was bothered by her being there with Tim. Haley couldn't help but feel thrilled at the thought.

"What?"

"You're jealous."

"No, I'm not," Nathan denied even though he knew he was lying through his teeth. It took every ounce of self-control for him to not walk over and pummel Tim when he saw the pair walk into the movie theater. He'd been hanging around for an hour or so before to see if he could spot them. They looked like they were actually having a good time, and it only served to make his blood boil even more. "You can do whatever you want. It's not like we're together or you have a boyfriend or anything."

Haley shrugged nonchalantly. "Ok then." She knew he was being stubborn. And if he wasn't ready to admit it, then she'd just have to give him a little push in the right direction.

Nathan watched Haley curiously as she leaned in closer to Tim. She then whispered something in his ear causing him to laugh. Afterward, he saw her lay her head on his shoulder as a smile appeared on Tim's face. _What the hell?!_ Nathan could feel his temper rise even more at that. _Move away, Haley. Move away! _After a few minutes, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Don't mind me," Nathan said as he reached over to grab some popcorn. He then took the opportunity to discretely pull Haley away from Tim. He couldn't help it if she was "in his way." Haley laughed along with the rest of the audience. However, she was cracking up for a very different reason. She knew Nathan wouldn't be able to stand it. She'd totally gotten to him.

"Just take the popcorn, Nate Dogg," Tim replied. "You're interrupting my concentration." He then snorted when Tina Fey cracked another joke on screen.

"What?" Nathan questioned when he saw Haley looking at him.

"Real smooth," she teased while nudging him.

Nathan smirked despite his best efforts not to. "Ok, fine. I'm jealous," he finally admitted. "Happy now?"

"That depends. What kind of stuff did you want to talk about earlier?" Haley asked. She glanced over at Tim to make sure that he was still focused on the movie. Luckily, he was. Afterward, she turned back to Nathan.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Nathan murmured. "About before. And that I…"

"You what?" Haley questioned when he paused.

"Actually, do you think that we can talk after this?" Nathan had a lot to say to Haley, and he didn't really want to tell her his feelings in a movie theater surrounded by tons of people. When they did have this talk, he wanted her all to himself.

"Um, I don't know. It depends on if Tim has anything else planned," Haley stated. She desperately wanted to talk to Nathan. It's all she'd been thinking about and hoping for these last few days. But she'd made a promise to Tim, and she couldn't just ditch him. That wouldn't be right.

Nathan felt his stomach drop slightly but nodded anyway. "Ok." He then tried to watch the rest of the movie. He couldn't really concentrate, though. He kept repeating all of the things he wanted to say to Haley over in his head. The fact that she was sitting so close to him and he could smell the gardenia in her hair wasn't helping. It only served to make his head hazier. Plus, he had to control himself whenever he saw Tim lean in to whisper something to her. It seemed like, yet again, she was just within his reach when someone else swooped in to get her.

An hour later, much to Haley's relief, the movie finally ended. She was finding it very difficult to sit still. Her mind was going through all of the possible things that Nathan may want to say to her. However, she was trying not to get too carried away. This was the guy who loved to pull the rug out from under her. Haley didn't want to get too ahead of herself.

"That movie was awesome," Tim declared as he stood up to stretch. "Ugh, I'm full."

"I told you not to eat all of that candy," Haley teased. She'd told Tim to pace himself during the rest of the movie, but he wouldn't listen.

"I guess it was a good thing Nathan ate all of the popcorn. I'd probably be ready to hurl right now if I had that, too," Tim stated. "So, Nate, did you like the movie?"

"Uh, yeah. It was good," he answered. _I'm sure it would've been even better if I was actually paying attention. _

"Cool. Well, Tutor Girl and I are going to take off."

"Where are you going?" Nathan inquired.

Haley looked to Tim. "I don't know. Did you want to go somewhere else?"

"Actually, I was going to take you back to your dorm and then head back to mine. I need to sleep this candy off. You wouldn't happen to have any Tums, would you, Tutor Girl?"

"No. Sorry," Haley replied. She took a good look at Tim. He did seem a little paler. "Tim, are you sure you're ok?" A second later, he belched loudly. "I guess not."

"Sorry," Tim apologized. He then picked up his empty box of Goobers. "What the hell did they put in these things?"

"You know what, why don't you just head home? I'll take Haley back to her dorm," Nathan offered.

"No, I've…" he trailed off when another burp escaped him. "Damn, that one actually had pulp." Haley cringed and looked over at Nathan. He seemed to have the same look of disgust on his face.

"Seriously, Tim. You should just go home if you're not feeling well. I've got Haley."

Tim then turned to her. "Sorry, Tutor Girl. I didn't mean to ruin our da—time together. I guess I blew it."

"No, that's alright. You just get some rest and feel better. We can talk tomorrow," Haley assured him while rubbing a soothing hand on his back. The three then made their way out of the building and to his car.

"Are you ok to drive?" Nathan asked making sure.

"Yeah, I should be ok. Thanks for tonight, Tutor Girl. And thanks for taking her home, Nate."

"Sure."

Haley gave him a small wave. "Bye, Tim…you think that he's going to be alright?" she questioned Nathan when Tim started to drive away.

"It's Tim. He's usually got a stomach of steel. He'll probably feel better tomorrow."

"I hope so." She was definitely going to call him tomorrow to make sure he was ok.

"Come on," Nathan said. He started to lead Haley towards his own car. He opened the passenger's side door for her to get in. Haley thanked him and took a seat. A couple of minutes later, they were on the main road driving back to school. The car was silent as they both tried to come up with something to say.

"What happened to your shirt?" As soon as it popped out of his mouth, Nathan wanted to kick himself. _What the hell kind of a question is that?! I'm such an idiot. _ If there was one thing he learned from Brooke over the years, it was to never bring attention to a woman's ruined outfit. She'd almost kicked his ass a few years back at a party when he pointed out a huge wine stain on her dress.

"Tim spilt soda on me by accident," Haley answered.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So, um, did anything else happen on your date?" Nathan prodded before he could stop himself. _And the word vomit just keeps on coming!_

"You mean besides us having sex in the back of his car?" she questioned with a straight face.

"WHAT?!" Nathan exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes. The two went forward before finally banging back into their seats. Luckily, there was no one else on the road behind them.

"Ow, Nathan!" Haley scolded as she rubbed her chest. The seatbelt had practically dug into her skin. "It was just a joke."

"Damn it, Haley, that wasn't funny. Jeez…"

"Are you sure you're ok to drive?"

"I don't know at this point," he mumbled. She'd freaked the living hell out of him with that last comment.

"Look, why don't you just pull over, so we can talk about all of this," Haley suggested. "I don't want to make you crash into a pole or anything the next time."

"I'm not that bad," Nathan defended. Haley then gave him a stern look. "Ok, fine. I know a place that's not too far from here." A few minutes later, they pulled onto a grassy ridge that seemed to overlook the town. The view was absolutely breathtaking in Haley's opinion.

"Wow," she commented. "Where are we?"

"Buckley Point."

Haley frowned. She'd heard of it before. "Isn't this the most notorious make-out spot in town?"

"Pretty much." Haley then raised an eyebrow at him. "It also has one of the best views."

"I bet," she joked.

"Hales, can you please be serious?"

"Nathan, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You're all wound up."

"Do you blame me? I mean, I stopped by your dorm room to talk to you, and I find out from Jake that you're on a date with Tim. Then I end up finding you and Tim, and you're all over each other…"

"What? Nathan…"

"…I mean, I know I was a jerk the other day, but I didn't think you'd give up on me so quickly. Well, I guess that's not fair, because you did technically like me for years. But you finally told me the truth, and I needed some time to process it all…"

"Nathan…" Haley tried to interrupt again, but he just kept going. The boy seemed to be on a roll.

"And it's not like I've been completely oblivious to what's been happening between us these last couple of months. But I was with Peyton and you were supposedly with Chase, which really sucked, so I kind of wouldn't let myself go there. Then Peyton and I broke up, and we got close. But you were still with Chase, so I still couldn't let myself feel anything for you. Then when I finally do make a move, which I felt guilty about because I thought I made you cheat, I find out you really aren't with Chase. So, technically, I could have taken a chance with you all along…"

"Nathan…"

"…so I started thinking about that. It's all I've been thinking about for these past three days. I've blown so many chances with you, Haley. I mean, you didn't know it then, but I really wanted you back in May, too. But I completely screwed it up, because I was an idiot and ran out on you. I thought about you the whole summer, and when you came home looking even hotter than before, that just made it even har—" Nathan was suddenly cut off by Haley's lips on his. He was actually relieved she stopped him. He didn't know what the hell was going on with his mouth tonight. He never rambled. But then again, he hung out with Haley so much that some of her nervous habits were bound to rub off on him. Although, being silenced by a kiss from Haley wasn't a bad thing.

Haley could tell that Nathan seemed to have finally reached his limit. So she did the first thing she could think of to calm him down. She kissed him. She then unbuckled her seatbelt, so that she could get closer to Nathan. He did the same before pulling her against him. Haley also couldn't believe everything he'd just told her. All of this time, she'd thought their kiss in May was a mistake to him. That he regretted it. To find out that he'd been feeling the same way she did all this time was like music to her ears. It was also nice to know that he'd been thinking about her these last few days. She certainly hadn't been able to get her mind off of him. Plus, he looked really cute when he got all flustered.

Nathan continued to kiss Haley for another minute until he finally pulled away. He then ran a hand through her short chocolate locks and caressed her cheek. "Thanks. I needed that."

"Anytime," she teased.

Nathan gave her a small smile before his expression turned serious. "Hales, I'm so sorry."

"Nathan, it's ok."

"No, it's not," he replied. "I've been a real jerk to you."

"You haven't…" she began to protest.

"Yeah, I have," Nathan argued. "You've always been there for me, and I never really took the time to notice. I really wish I had, because then maybe we could've been together sooner. I think that's probably one of the reasons why I was so mad when you first told me the truth about Chase. It wasn't you. I just…I realized that I'd always had a chance with you, but I was too stupid to take it. And if I hadn't been such a dumbass, you wouldn't have had any reason to lie and say that there was somebody else."

"What was the other reason?" she asked curiously.

"Honestly…I was just scared," Nathan admitted. It was hard to actually say it, but he had to be truthful with Haley. She'd already laid her cards on the table. It was his turn now.

Haley frowned. "Why?"

"When you told me the whole Chase thing was made up, I felt like a real fool. Every time he called you or sent you something, it bothered me. I'd get so worked up or find myself feeling envious of this guy I'd never even met," Nathan explained. "Then to find out that nothing was going on and that you could have such a strong affect on me…it…it freaked me out a little bit. It still kind of does. I've never felt like this before, Hales. This is all really new to me."

"It's new to me, too, Nathan," she told him. "I know that I've liked you for years, but it's been so different actually putting myself out there for you. I was so afraid of getting hurt before. And after everything that has happened…I guess I still am."

"You don't have to be this time," Nathan assured her as he continued to gently stroke her cheek.

Haley stared into his deep blue eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because I don't want to run from this…from us anymore. I really like you, Haley James."

Haley smiled. "I really like you, too, Nathan Scott."

"So, can you please forgive me for being a clueless jerk?" he asked with a hopeful smile. "I know that I may not have had the best reaction, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate you telling me the truth about Chase. I know that took a lot for you to do."

"As long as you forgive me for lying to you in the first place. I didn't feel right about it, and I don't want anymore secrets between us," she replied.

"Me neither," he agreed. "And I forgive you."

"I forgive you, too." Haley then leaned in to give him a sweet, tender kiss on the lips. She felt so much better now that they'd talked and got it all out in the open. When she was about to pull away, she felt Nathan's arms wrap around her waist to keep her close to him. He then continued to move his lips languidly over hers.

"So, what exactly are we now?" she asked breathlessly a couple of minutes later. Nathan's lips had started to move on down from her mouth to her neck. Haley could feel her body start to tingle. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed being with him like this.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could try out this whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing. Unless that's moving too fast for you," he added teasingly.

"Actually, I'd say it's about damn time," she joked back. Nathan laughed as he pulled away to look at her.

"Tell me what you really think, why don't you?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and kiss me, Scott," she playfully ordered. He started to lean back into her, but stopped just as their lips were about to touch.

"What's the matter?" Haley asked.

"I was just wondering…you weren't on a real date with Tim, were you?" Between him telling her his feelings and them working things out, he'd completely forgotten about what he'd witnessed earlier tonight.

"Jealous?" she teased.

"Hales," Nathan groaned.

She laughed before finally answering, "No. I was just doing Tim a favor. He finally got Theresa to agree to go out with him, and he was nervous about it. So he asked me to go on a pretend, practice date with him. He wanted to see what things he did right or what he should watch out for."

"Oh." _Well, that's not so bad,_ Nathan thought relieved.

"Yeah."

Nathan smirked a minute later. "Well, when you talk to him, you might want to mention that belching in front of a woman is not very attractive."

Haley laughed. "I'll be sure to add that to the list. But don't say anything to him or anyone else. He didn't want you guys to know."

"I promise. Now where were we?" he smirked before claiming her mouth once more. Haley moaned at the contact as her grip around his shoulders tightened. She completely surrendered to the kiss. However, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to something Nathan had mentioned before.

"So…you really didn't think that our kiss in May was a mistake?" she mumbled against his lips.

"No."

"And you thought about me all summer?" she prodded.

"Everyday."

"But you were with Peyton," Haley pointed out as she broke the kiss. She didn't mean to ruin the moment, but that thought had been in the back of her mind ever since she came home. Now that they were talking about everything, she couldn't pass up the chance to find out what had been going through his mind then.

"I know," he replied guiltily. "That's another reason why I felt like a jerk. I did care about Peyton. She's a good person. But…she wasn't you, Hales."

Haley gave him a small smile as she felt her insides melt at his words. "Chase wasn't you either." But a frown soon formed on her face when another worrisome thought popped into her head. "Nathan, this isn't going to be easy. Peyton is still trying to get over your breakup. I don't think she could handle knowing about us right now. And then my brother finally agreed to back off and give Chase a chance. I don't think he's even close to being ready to handle the idea of us. Plus, he's one of your best friends. I don't want to cause problems between the two of you."

Nathan sighed. "Well, then, we just won't tell anyone right now. We'll wait a little while until things calm down." He knew that he would be risking a lot by being with Haley, but there was no way he could walk away from her again. He already had really strong feelings for her, and he wanted to see if it could develop into something more. She wasn't just any other girl.

"Are you sure?

"Yeah. But I'm more worried about you than me. Are you ok with that?"

Haley nodded. "Yes—as long as we face it together." She wasn't really looking forward to more secrecy. But she knew that there was no way that she and Nathan could let anyone besides Brooke and Taylor know about them at the moment. It would be a total disaster.

"We will," he promised.

"Thank you," she said while giving him a sweet peck on the lips.

"Sure," he replied as he checked his watch. "It's getting late. I should probably take you back to your dorm."

"Actually, do you think that we could stay here a little longer?" Haley requested. She felt so safe with Nathan in his car. For the time being, all of the obstacles of the real world they'd be facing soon couldn't touch them. It was just the two of them right now, and Haley wanted to enjoy it while she still could.

"Come here," Nathan said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to his chest. Haley snuggled into him as her own arms encircled his waist. She felt a shiver run up her spine as his warm lips met her forehead, and he started running a hand through her hair.

Nathan held onto Haley tightly. He had seen the pleading look in her eyes and understood. He didn't want this moment between them to end either. They'd finally worked things out and were together. Nathan wanted her all to himself for as long as possible. Tomorrow he would worry about Peyton, Matt, and the others. Tonight was about him and Haley. Everything else could wait.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi everyone. Thank you all again for the reviews last chapter. I'm glad that you're all enjoying Haley and Tim's friendship. I always loved Tim on the show, and I could just picture he and Haley making an odd, but cute, pair of friends. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. I had fun writing it. So please read and review!**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

"Ok, what is up with you?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"Ok."

"I'm serious."

"What?"

"You're all…happy."

Haley laughed. "And that's a bad thing?"

"No. I'm just trying to figure out why. Did Chase send you another present?"

"No."

"Did he drop the L-word?"

"No."

"Well, it has to be something. You've been all cheerful and dreamy-eyed these last few days," Peyton stated as she started to stretch a little bit. It was Wednesday afternoon, and they were at cheerleading practice. Solaris had let them take a fifteen-minute break to regroup. Haley, Peyton, and Brooke had grabbed a spot on the mats off to the side to talk.

"I'm just in a good mood. That's all," Haley said. She was in more than a good mood. She'd felt like she was on Cloud Nine ever since Sunday night. It felt so great to have everything resolved with Nathan and know where they stood. All of the kissing and making out recently had been pretty awesome, too. It was kind of fun and thrilling to sneak around. She usually had Nathan all to herself without any interruptions. Haley knew that it wouldn't always be this way. She and Nathan definitely had some tough times ahead of them. But for right now, she was going to enjoy the newness of it all while she still could.

"Aw, leave the poor girl alone, Peyton," Brooke spoke up. "If she doesn't want to tell us, that's her business." Haley threw Brooke a thankful look. Her friend always had a way of diffusing situations.

"Hey, I was just curious. I wish I could be that carefree this week."

"Why? What's going on?" Haley asked curiously.

"I've just got tons of schoolwork to get done. Plus, Jake and I are trying to finish up our project. It's taking forever."

"That's right. You and Jaglieski have been spending a lot of time together," Brooke commented. "How is that going? Did you two finally give into temptation and go at it like rabbits, or what?"

"Brooke!" Haley scolded.

Brooke shrugged innocently. "What?"

Peyton just laughed. "No. Like I told Haley a few days ago, I'm taking a break from guys for a while. I need to focus on myself. Besides, Jake and I are just friends."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Don't mind her, Peyton. She's been boy crazy since birth," Haley joked.

"Oh, shush," Brooke laughed.

"You know it's true."

"It's ok. Nothing Brooke says surprises me anymore," Peyton declared.

"Then I guess I'll just have to try harder," Brooke declared indignantly.

"Girls, five more minutes, and we'll start going over the routine again," Solaris announced. They all nodded in response.

"Is it bad that I'm already tired?" Brooke questioned as she laid back on the mat.

Haley shook her head. "I am, too." Their routines seemed to get more challenging each week. The team also had more games. The season was really starting to pick up. Haley then looked over at the court and saw the guys running more suicides. Except this time, they were doing them backwards. _I would so fall on my ass, _she thought. Haley never had that kind of stamina or coordination. Afterward, she looked past them to the sidelines. Haley could feel another smile tugging at her lips. She had to admit, Nathan looked so sexy in his assistant coach shirt as he yelled at the team for slacking off.

"Thinking naughty thoughts?" Brooke inquired. Haley looked over to make sure Peyton hadn't heard but saw that she'd gone to talk to a few of the other girls.

"No."

"Liar."

"Are you?" Haley shot back.

Brooke got a mischievous smile on her face. "Always."

"You're sick, Davis."

"I can't help it if my Broody is so sexy. I love it when he gets all fired up," she stated. Haley turned back to the court and saw that Lucas was now letting the guys have it. She then shifted her attention back to Nathan to see if he was getting just as angry again. However, much to her surprise and delight, she noticed that he wasn't watching the guys at all. He was staring straight at her. She felt goose bumps form on her skin soon after.

"I swear, I'm going to strangle Quentin," Lucas muttered. "You know, I think he's moving slower just to piss us off. What do you think, Nate? Nate? Nate?!"

"Huh?" Nathan said as he looked over at his brother.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"This is like the fourth time you've zoned out on me today."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. He'd been having a hard time focusing for most of practice. He tried to keep his eyes solely on the guys, but his attention would eventually drift back to Haley. He just couldn't resist watching her stretch and practice the squad's routine. Every time she bent over his eyes would automatically hone in on her ass in those short shorts she was wearing. They were just so damn sexy. He'd also meet her gaze every now and then. The secretive smiles she gave him just seemed to push him even more over the edge. He couldn't wait until he had her alone tonight during their tutoring session.

"What's going on? Are you sick or something?"

"No. I've just got a lot on my mind," he answered.

"Well, the guys and I were planning on going to the bar tonight and shoot some pool. Did you want to come?" Lucas offered.

Nathan shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't. I have a tutoring session with Haley. We've got a lot of stuff to work on."

"That sucks. Your statistics class still kicking your ass?"

"Pretty much, but Haley makes it easier."

"She always was the smart one. Well, besides me," Lucas quipped.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "If you're so smart, then figure out a way stop the team from sucking." The guys still could not get their act together. Nathan was seriously starting to lose the little patience that he had left.

"I'm a genius. Not a miracle worker."

Just then, Whitey blew his whistle. "That's enough for today, guys. Hit the showers. You all stink."

"So what's the verdict, Coach?" Nathan asked as Whitey approached them.

"I don't know. I think maybe we should consider scouting for some new talent. The team is falling apart at the seams, and Quentin isn't helping the situation. He's too unpredictable. I know we've been winning the games, but it's not as a team. Everyone's playing selfish, and we're barely making it by."

"Did you want to hold tryouts?" Lucas asked.

"Not now. Let's give them another two weeks to get it together. Then we'll see what options are open to us," Whitey answered. Lucas and Nathan both nodded.

"Sounds good," Nathan replied.

"You boys can leave now if you want. You were working hard today with the team. We can go over some more plays on Friday," Whitey stated before he started to head to his office. Lucas and Nathan shared a worrisome look. It must have been a bad day if Whitey didn't feel like going over plays and strategies. They always did that after practice.

Lucas shook his head. "Nate, I think we're in serious trouble."

* * *

"Oh my God, I can't do this," Haley groaned

"Yes, you can," Nathan replied.

"No, I can't. I suck," she reinforced.

"Just do it like I showed you."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't!" Haley declared. "Nathan, I just scored a damn basket against myself. And stop laughing. It's not funny!"

"Come on, you have to admit that it's a little…" he trailed off when she gave him a threatening glare. "…ok, it's not funny." The two were sitting on the floor of Nathan's dorm room playing a short game of NBA Live. Originally, Nathan had thought that it would be a nice break from their tutoring session. They'd been going over problems and reviewing old tests for the last hour. They could use a breather. But his idea of fun had quickly transformed into some kind of nightmare for Haley. She wasn't lying when she told him that she sucked at videogames. It had taken her ten minutes just to figure out which buttons moved the players in the right direction on the court.

"I quit," Haley declared.

"You will not," Nathan objected. "I won't let you."

"Yes, I am."

"Come here," he instructed.

"What?" Haley asked confused.

"Come here," Nathan repeated before grabbing Haley by the waist and situating her so she was now sitting between his legs. Haley let out a silent gasp as her body seemed to quiver from his touch. She could feel his hard chest behind her and his arms encircling hers. A second later, he'd covered her hands on the control with his own. She then felt her cheeks heat up. She always got like that whenever he was this close to her.

"Ok," Nathan stated. "Let's try this again." He then pushed a few buttons on the control to restart the game.

"I don't want to," Haley pouted. She'd embarrassed herself enough in front of him already.

"That doesn't sound like the Tutor Girl I know. Since when do you just give up?" he challenged.

"Since now. I hate this stupid game," she said.

"Well, we're going to change that. And I'm going to let that offensive statement slide, since you're my girlfriend," he teased before kissing her on the cheek.

"Your charm is not going to work this time," she mumbled stubbornly. Nathan just smirked while shaking his head. He then repositioned her fingers on the buttons before starting the game again.

"Oh my God, that guy is coming at me!" Haley panicked about ten minutes in. Even though Nathan was helping her, she still wasn't doing that well. He'd go to push one button while she went to another—which resulted in her guy banging into other players or shooting the ball at the wrong times. Eventually, Nathan just let go and decided to let her try it alone.

"Push the circle."

"What circle?! All the buttons are circles!" she exclaimed exasperated. How could anyone enjoy playing these games? All they did was get you worked up and anxious for no reason at all.

"The button with the picture of a circle on it," Nathan clarified.

"Why is he doing that?! I pushed the freaking button, and the guy is still coming after me. Damn it, Nathan, you suck at this! You're supposed to be helping me!"

"Hales, the guy is guarding you. He's supposed to chase after you," Nathan explained with a laugh. Her freaking out was too funny right now.

"Well, he's making me nervous."

"You're making me nervous. Relax," he teased.

"I can't. If I do, that guy's going to pummel me."

"It's just a game, Hales."

"No, this thing is a heart attack waiting to happen," she retorted.

"Do you want to stop?" Nathan sighed. Obviously, she wasn't finding this as fun as he thought she might.

"Yes!"

"Ok, fine," Nathan relented. He then grabbed the control out of her hands and shut it off. "Are you alright?" he asked a minute later when she suddenly got quiet.

"I think I just had a flashback of gym class my freshman year of high school. Sue Garver chased after me in a game of flag football and ended up tackling me. God, I hated gym," she shuddered while leaning back against his chest and closing her eyes. Nathan had to suppress a laugh. _Yeah, Haley and sports, even virtual ones, definitely do not mix_, he mused.

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd like NBA Live once you got the hang of it," he stated as he soothingly started to rub his hands up and down her arms.

"Never again," she mumbled. Nathan chuckled softly to himself as he continued his ministrations on her arms. Her skin was so soft and smooth that he couldn't help himself.

"Are you cold?" he asked as the goose bumps began to form on her flesh.

Haley shook her head. "Actually, I'm hot."

Nathan smirked. "Yeah, you are." He then lowered his head to her neck. Haley's laugh quickly transformed into a gasp when she felt him nipping and sucking on her sensitive skin. She leaned further into him and moved her head to give him better access.

"You know, this is much better than some stupid videogame," she muttered as her eyes started to close.

"I'd be offended right now if you weren't right," he laughed in a husky tone.

"I'm always right."

Nathan pulled away and looked down at her. "I think I'm a bad influence on you. You're starting to get my ego."

"Actually, I'd rather get something else from you," she flirted causing him to groan.

"You are so sexy when you talk like that," he teased while kissing her on the lips. He then wrapped his arms around her waist before pulling her to stand up with him. Haley turned around in his embrace and was instantly met with his lips on hers again. She completely melted into him as he continued to kiss her passionately. It wasn't long before she felt his tongue start to stroke hers. Haley let out a soft moan and tightened her grip on him.

Tired of standing, Nathan started to push her back onto his bed. Haley complied as he positioned himself over her. Every nerve in his body seemed to be humming as he felt Haley's hands run through his hair and along his back. He kept his own hands on the curves of her hips as they continued to make out. Even though they'd had many heated make out sessions over these last few days, this was all still new to them. There was no doubt in Nathan's mind that he wanted Haley. He always had. But she wasn't like the other girls he'd been with. She wasn't fast or easy nor did he expect her to be. Peyton wasn't either, but their relationship had developed rather quickly. With Haley, Nathan didn't want to push her or make her feel uncomfortable. He was perfectly fine with taking it slow and just enjoying being with her.

Haley suddenly felt Nathan's lips start to move more languidly over hers. She didn't know what had caused the change in pace, but it still felt good all the same. Nathan's hand then came up to softly caress her cheek. A second later, he pulled away.

"What's the matter?" Haley questioned with a frown.

"Nothing," he stated. "We should probably get back to studying. I have a killer test tomorrow."

"Oh," Haley commented. "Ok." She tried to keep her voice even and calm. _Since when does he not want to make out?_ She started to wonder if she had done something wrong but quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. He did have a big test tomorrow. He probably was just stressed. They also wouldn't have long until Lucas came back to the room—possibly with the guys in tow. Haley didn't even want to think about what would happen if they got caught in the position they were in now. Nathan gave her one more peck on the lips before getting off of her. Afterward, he walked over to his desk and brought his books back to the bed. Haley pushed over so that he could sit next to her. They then continued going over the material for his exam. About a half hour later, they were interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the lock.

"Hey, guys," Lucas greeted as he entered the room. Just as Haley had expected, Tim and Matt were right behind him. "You're still at it?"

"Uh, yeah. But we're almost done," Nathan answered. Haley nodded as she tried to appear normal. She could feel her body already getting a little tense. She was still trying to get used to acting platonic with Nathan when everyone else was around.

"Dude, you missed one kick-ass game of pool," Matt declared. "Tim actually won."

"Oh yeah. The Tim totally knows what he's doing when it comes to his balls," Tim proclaimed. Haley covered her mouth to keep from laughing as the guys looked at him in disbelief.

Lucas shuddered. "That was not an image I needed."

"Nasty," Matt added.

"I meant pool balls," Tim corrected.

"It's too late, Dim," Nathan replied as he shook his head. "The damage is already done." For the next few minutes, the group talked casually. Haley eventually moved away from Nathan when she realized she was a little too close to him on his bed. Luckily, no one seemed to think twice about it. She saw what time it was, however, and realized that maybe she should just leave. It was getting late.

"Well, guys, it's been fun but…" Haley began to say when her cell phone, all of a sudden, went off.

"Who is it?" Matt questioned. Haley pulled it out to check the ID.

"Chase," Haley answered. She noticed Nathan tense up slightly out of the corner of her eye. She'd left a message for Chase earlier. She still hadn't told him that Operation Torture was no longer necessary. Haley was kind of nervous about how he was going to react to her and Nathan being together. "I, uh, have to take this. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Be careful. Do you want me to walk you back to the room?" Matt offered.

"No. I think I can manage," Haley said. She then waved goodbye to guys, shared one last look with Nathan, and left.

* * *

"That sounds like fun," Haley commented. She was now back in her dorm room on the phone with Chase. While he talked about how school was going and the weekend, Haley was trying to build up the nerve to tell him about her and Nathan.

"So, what about you?" Chase questioned. "How was your weekend?"

"Um, it was…it was pretty good," Haley answered. "I had fun."

"Really? What did you do?"

"Uh…just stuff."

Chase laughed. "What kind of stuff?"

"The normal kind." _Damn it, _Haley swore to herself. She knew dodging the issue was not going to help.

"Ok, what's the matter?" Chase inquired.

"Nothing. Why?" she tried to play dumb. She knew it was useless, but she was still trying to find the right way to tell Chase what was going on.

"You sound kind of nervous. And I can practically hear you pacing over the phone."

"I'm not pacing," she denied—even though she most certainly was.

"You're a terrible liar, love muffin," he teased. "What's going on?"

Haley sighed. "Ok. I kind of have something really important to tell you. Are you sitting down?"

"No," he replied.

"Sit down."

"Why?"

"I just think it'd be best if you were sitting," she advised.

"But..."

"Chase," she warned.

"Ok, I'm sitting down. Now what's up? Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she stated.

"Is Brooke ok?"

"She's fine, too."

"Well, that's good. So what exactly is making you all anxious? You know that you can tell me anything."

"It's about Operation Torture," Haley began.

"Did you have a suggestion?"

"Well…um…there's been a slight change in plans. The whole thing needs to stop."

"What? Why?" he asked in a surprised tone. "I talked to Brooke a couple of weeks ago, and she said that everything was working like a charm."

Haley took a deep breath. _Here it goes_. "Look, I'm just going to come right out and say it. Nathan knows."

"Knows what?" Chase asked cautiously.

"Everything. He knows about us dating earlier in the summer, Operation Torture…just everything."

"Oh crap. How did he find out? We were all so careful…"

"I told him," Haley blurted out.

"What?! Haley, why on earth would you do that?!" he exclaimed.

"Before you freak, please just hear me out," she requested. Haley then went into the whole story about tutoring Nathan, how close they'd gotten, Tric, and everything that had happened since then.

"…so now we're dating," Haley finished. She frowned a second later when she was met with complete silence on the other end of the phone. "Chase, are you still there?"

"Uh…yeah," he answered. "I'm just trying to process it all…damn."

"I know it's a lot to take in. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner, but Nathan and I were trying to work things out and…" she began to ramble.

"Haley," he cut her off. "It's ok. You don't have to apologize. I get it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I only suggested Operation Torture to help you out. In the end, whatever you want to do is your decision."

Haley breathed a sigh of relief at his words. "Thanks, Chase. I was afraid you'd be mad at me."

"No, I'm not mad. If you're happy, then I'm happy for you. As long as the Kissi—I mean Nathan is treating you well. He is, right?"

Haley felt a smile tug at her mouth. "Yes. He's really great, Chase."

"Good. So, now what are you going to do about your other friends and brother finding out?"

"We don't know yet. Right now, they still think that you and I are dating. It's just not the right time to tell them anything."

"After what you just told me, I think it's a good decision at the moment. I don't know how it will play out later on, but it's the risk you take."

"I know," she muttered softly.

"So, um, there was another reason why I called you other than to catch up," Chase revealed after a couple of seconds.

"What is it?" Haley asked curiously.

"Well, I was wondering if…I mean, my plans have sort of changed so…" he trailed off.

"Chase, what's going on?" she prodded. The way he was skirting around the subject was making Haley uneasy.

Chase sighed. "What exactly are you doing for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks..."


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone. As always, thank you for the reviews last chapter. I was asked how many chapters are left in the story. I'm not really sure. It'll probably be a little bit over thirty if everything goes according to plan. In this chapter, I kind of did a small tribute to one of my other all-time favorite shows. I've been breaking out the old box sets and watching it, so I decided to add it in the chapter. **

**Also, there's just one question I have. And I don't expect you guys to have an answer, but I need to get it out. Where in the living hell are the scenes this season that feature Naley behaving like selfish 22-year olds (pursuing basketball and music again do not count)?! I know that they have Jamie and family drama going on, but I'm just getting so frustrated with the lack of couply scenes between them. Can't they have a date night or a late-night swim like the therapist mentioned?! I want our fun and cute Naley back at least for one freaking episode! Give them a break! I really want nothing more sometimes than to fly down to Wilmington, tell the writers to push over, and announce that I'll be writing the rest of the damn episodes for them. Then we'd get our Naley action!  
**

**Ok, I'm done with my rant. I'm sorry if I scared you guys. That's just been irking me to no end. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter. So please read and review! Thanks, guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

"I love this show. Why did they cancel it again?" Brooke questioned as she shoved some popcorn into her mouth.

"I don't know. Because networks suck," Taylor answered.

Haley shrugged. "I think the ratings went down." The three were in Taylor's dorm room having a girls night. They'd already painted each other's nails, did their hair, ate junk food, and had now moved on to a marathon of old _Roswell_ episodes.

Brooke shook her head. "What a shame. I mean, just look at the eye candy. Max Evens can abduct and experiment on me any day."

"It figures you'd go for him," Taylor snickered.

Brooke whipped around to face her. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Max is tall, handsome, and broody. Sound like anyone we know?"

"Well, who do you like?"

"Definitely Michael. He's hott."

"Ooh, the tough bad boy. What a surprise," Brooke muttered sarcastically.

"Well, I like them both. However, I was always more partial to Kyle. He's hott and funny," Haley spoke up.

"The sarcastic jock. That sounds familiar," Taylor teased before nudging her.

"Shut up," Haley laughed.

"Well, as far as female characters go, I'm Isabel. She's hott and always knows how to keep the men coming back for more."

"She was also bitchy and acted like an ice queen," Taylor added with a smug smile. "So it looks like you two have even more in common."

"Shut up, Tess."

"Ok, there is no freakin' way that I'm Tess. She's a skank!"

Brooke grinned. "Exactly."

"Whatever, Ice Queen…"

"Don't 'whatever' me you intergalactic whore—"

"Guys, settle down," Haley intervened.

"Can it, Liz," Brooke snapped.

"Wait, why am I Liz?"

"Because you're both geniuses. Duh," Taylor pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Haley joked. Both Taylor and Brooke gave her un-amused looks. "What? Don't give me those looks. You're the ones arguing over fictional characters."

"Oh my God, everyone be quiet!" Brooke suddenly interrupted as she stared at the TV. "This is the part where Max totally lifts Liz onto the counter and has his way with her." They all immediately went silent and watched the screen.

"That's so sexy," Taylor muttered. Haley nodded in agreement. She wouldn't mind acting that scene out with Nathan. She could feel her face heating up just thinking about it.

"I told you Max was hott," Brooke reinforced. "What I wouldn't give for some Czechoslovakian love." Both Taylor and Haley looked at her and busted out laughing. Only Brooke could say something like that in such a serious tone. They continued to watch the episode until they decided to stop and take a break.

"We need more popcorn," Brooke announced.

"There's a box of food under my roommate's bed. There should be some more in there," Taylor informed her.

Haley frowned. "Isn't she going to be mad that we're eating her food?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Please, the bitch has it coming. She's always borrowing my clothes without permission. She even spilt beer one time on my favorite white sweater."

"Now that is just wrong," Brooke commented while shaking her head disapprovingly.

"At least we agree on something." As the two proceeded to talk about Taylor's annoying roommate, Haley's mind wandered. She was glad that they'd decided to have a girls night. It was a great distraction from all of the things bothering her. However, makeovers, junk food, and _Roswell _marathons couldn't occupy her thoughts for long. Every now and then all of the crap she was facing would seep back into her mind.

"…Tutor Girl. Tutor Girl!" Brooke called.

"Huh?" Haley questioned.

"Way to zone out on us," Taylor teased.

"Oh, sorry."

"Ok, what's going on?" Brooke asked. "You've been getting that faraway look in your eyes all night."

Taylor smirked. "She's probably just fantasizing about Nathan."

"No, I'm not," Haley denied.

"Are you sure? You are in that whole blissed-out honeymoon phase right now."

"I wasn't thinking about Nathan. At least not in that way," Haley added. She was beginning to regret telling her sister and Brooke about she and Nathan getting together. All they seemed to do lately was bust her up about it.

"So what's on your mind then?" Brooke questioned.

"Well…" Haley began. "…Chase called yesterday, and I told him that Nathan and I were dating."

"What?!" Brooke exclaimed as she ripped open the bag of popcorn a little too roughly. The kernels went flying everywhere.

Taylor groaned. "Damn it, Brooke! Look at this mess!"

"Tutor Girl, why are you just telling me this now?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal. It's just Chase."

"So? I'm your best friend. I need to be informed about these things at all times."

"That's why I'm telling you now," Haley stated.

"Whatever. Who cares about that? How did he take the news?" Taylor inquired while picking up popcorn.

"He was totally fine with it. All he was concerned with was that Nathan is treating me right."

"Is he?"

"Yes, Taylor. Nathan's been great."

"Just making sure."

"Don't go all Matt on me," Haley warned.

"I'm not that bad."

"That remains to be seen," Brooke quipped.

"Kiss my ass, Davis."

"No thanks, Tess."

"Guys, come on," Haley intervened before the two started fighting again. "I've actually got a big problem on my hands, and I need you both calm and focused."

"What problem? You just said that Chase was fine with you and Nathan getting together," Taylor said.

"I know. That's not the problem."

Brooke frowned as she returned to her seat on the floor next to Haley. "Then what is it?"

"You know how Chase originally invited me to come visit him and his family during Thanksgiving?"

"Wait, you're not still going, are you?" Taylor cut in.

"No. I was going to stay here with you guys. However, there's been a change of plans for Chase. His parents have some business trip they have to go on to close a deal. They're not taking him, so Chase has no where to go."

Brooke gasped. "That's horrible."

"I know. So, Chase was wondering if he could fly out here to visit and spend Thanksgiving with us," Haley explained.

"Of course he can," Brooke stated. "He can even stay at my house in the guest room. I wouldn't mind some company. My house is so creepy when it's empty."

"Oh boy," Taylor sighed. Haley looked to her sister and could see that she already saw the problem with this whole situation. "Damn, Haley Bop, how do you get yourself into these messes?" Haley shook her head. Lately, she had no idea. _My life is way too complicated._

"What mess?" Brooke asked before realization seemed to hit her, too. "Oh shit! If Chase comes here then the two of you have to…"

"Act like a couple in front of everyone else. Yeah, I know," Haley replied as she placed her head in her hands. "Nathan is going to flip." Even though he knew the truth, she could tell that he was still a little weary when it came to Chase. She'd noticed the way he tensed yesterday when she said that it was Chase calling her.

"You didn't tell him yet?" Taylor asked.

Haley shook her head. "We're going out after our tutoring session tomorrow. That's when I'm going to tell him."

"I suggest you tell him over the phone. That way he can't kill you."

"But if you do go on the date, you should wear something really sexy," Brooke advised. "He won't murder you if you look hott."

Haley sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I am so screwed."

* * *

"Dim, pass the ball!" Matt shouted.

"Get open!"

"I am open!"

"You are not…damn it!" Tim cursed as Nathan swooped in to steal the ball. He then dribbled to the basket and made a perfect lay up.

"Nice one, little brother," Lucas complimented as they bumped fists. The guys were in the gym playing basketball and trying to unwind. Unfortunately for Matt and Tim, they were just getting more frustrated as Lucas and Nathan dominated them.

"Wow, you guys suck," a voice called. They all looked to the gym entrance in time to see Jake and Skills make their way towards them.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" Tim questioned.

"Lucas invited us," Skills replied. "And from what I just saw, you two need all the help you can get."

"That would not have happened if Dim would just pass the ball," Matt muttered.

"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you to get open first?"

"I was!"

"You were not!"

"Whatever. Can we just get back to the game?" Nathan cut in. Their constant arguing were starting to give him a headache.

"I'll be on their team. They need me," Skills stated.

"I guess I'm with you guys," Jake said.

"Alright, everybody ready?" Lucas questioned. They all nodded before the game resumed. Within ten minutes, Matt and Tim's team began to catch up. Nathan was shocked. There was definitely a reason why Skills was called "Skills." He was an amazing player. _Even Jake's good_, Nathan thought as he saw him dribble the ball around Skills and do a slam dunk. Nathan shot a look to Lucas who also seemed to have an impressed expression on his face.

"Are you two trying to give the game away to us?" Matt questioned.

Lucas looked at him confused. "What?"

"You both aren't playing."

"Oh," Nathan muttered when he realized that he and Lucas had, in fact, stopped. "Sorry. It's just that…you guys are good."

"Thank you," Tim beamed.

"Actually, we mean Skills and Jake," Lucas corrected.

"Hey!" both Tim and Matt protested.

"Please, tell us something that we don't know," Skills laughed.

"We're serious. Have the two of you ever played professional basketball?" Nathan inquired.

Jake and Skills shook their heads. "No. We mostly just played on this old basketball court near my house," Skills answered.

"I played in Junior Leagues when I was younger," Jake stated. "That's about it."

Lucas shrugged before asking, "Have you ever thought about maybe joining a team for real?"

"I almost joined our varsity team in high school, but most of those guys just cared about their reputations. They were a bunch of assholes and could care less about the game. After I saw that, I wanted nothing to do with them," Skills explained.

"That sucks," Nathan commented. "Could you excuse us for a second?" He then pulled Lucas aside. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Hell yes. Why do you think I invited them to join us?"

"What?"

"I was talking to Skills earlier this morning, and he mentioned that he and Jake were into basketball, too. I figured it couldn't hurt to see what they can do."

Nathan smirked. "Luke, you are freaking brilliant."

"I know," he beamed.

"Do you think they'll go for it?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot."

* * *

"Nathan!" Haley scolded laughing. "Stop. There are people around."

"So?" he mumbled without removing his lips from her neck.

"So they can see us."

"Then let them watch."

Haley rolled her eyes and pulled away. "You are going to get us in trouble. What if someone we know sees us?"

"There's nobody around that we know. Most of these people are either younger or older than us," he stated as he looked around. The pair was at the Market Street Dock. They'd had dinner at one of the restaurants and decided to take a walk afterward. However, they weren't really getting far with Nathan stopping every five seconds to kiss her.

Haley then stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "Let's just go to a more secluded spot. Then you can kiss me all you want."

"Promise?" he teased.

Haley looked around before giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I promise."

Nathan nodded and grabbed her hand again. "Come on."

"So, what was the business you had to attend to earlier?" Haley questioned while they walked. They were supposed to have had a tutoring session today, but Nathan had to cancel.

"Lucas and I may have found a way to make the team better," he said.

"Really? How?"

"We might be recruiting a couple of new players. They're really good. Lucas and I played with them today, and they let us videotape them. We showed the tape to Whitey, and he was impressed."

"Wow. That's great," Haley commented. "Who are they?"

"Skills and Jake."

Haley stopped walking and looked at him surprised. "Skills and Jake? Are you serious?"

"Yup."

"Oh my God. I knew they played for fun, but I didn't know that they were good enough to be on the team."

"Neither did we," Nathan replied.

"So they're really going to be on the team?"

"Hopefully. They said they had to think about it first. Plus, Whitey wants to meet with them tomorrow and see them play in person."

"Oh, Nathan, that would be so great," Haley said. "Then Quentin wouldn't be able to control the team anymore."

"That's what we're hoping. But Skills and Jake are going to have to go through some professional training before we let them play in a game. We have to make sure they're at the same level as everyone else," Nathan explained. "So we're not out of the woods yet. Plus, we don't even know how Quentin will react if they do decide to join the team." Nathan just knew that Quentin was probably going to flip out. That was going to be the hard part in all of this.

"Well, it serves him right if he's going to act like a jerk. Besides, I'm sure you, Lucas, and Whitey will be able to handle it together. You're like the Three Musketeers or something."

Nathan smirked. "Thanks, Hales."

"No problem," she replied as he started to move in towards her. However, Haley turned her head at the last minute giving him her cheek.

"Hales," Nathan groaned.

"I told you to find a secluded spot," she teased. Nathan rolled his eyes before leading them to the end of the dock.

"Is this secluded enough?"

Haley smiled. "Perfect."

"Finally." It didn't take long for Nathan's mouth to connect with hers. The night was cold, especially since they were near the water, but Haley loved how as soon as Nathan kissed her she warmed right up. Her small hands rested on his chest as she snuggled more into his embrace. After a couple of seconds, one of his hands came up to caress her cheek.

"Are you cold?" he questioned when he felt how cool it was against his warm hand.

"Not anymore," she said before kissing him again. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer. She was enjoying their time together, but she knew in the back of her mind that she had to tell him about Chase coming. She'd been putting it off all evening. And the longer she waited, the more nervous she seemed to get. The kiss intensified and lasted a little longer until Haley finally pulled away breathless. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Nathan questioned as he ran his hand through her hair. He then gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"Can you promise me that you won't get mad?"

Nathan frowned. "Why?"

"Please," Haley requested. "Just promise you won't get mad." Nathan hesitated for a moment. He just knew that whatever she had to tell him wasn't going to be good. He could see that Haley was nervous. She couldn't stop biting her lip. Nathan also thought he could feel her body shaking a little bit.

"I promise," he finally agreed. They'd had a talk about trust and honesty before. He didn't want Haley to be afraid or uncomfortable to tell him things. He wanted her to come to him if there was a problem. They were a team now and needed to face things together.

"Do you remember at the beginning of the semester when I told you I was dating Chase? I mentioned how I was going to visit him and his family for Thanksgiving."

"I try to forget, but yeah. I remember," Nathan replied. He then felt a sense of dread course through him. "Why? Are you still going?"

Haley shook her head. "No."

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't tell her not to go if she already had plans, but that didn't mean he didn't want her to stay. "Good."

"But…um…Chase is actually coming here instead," she revealed.

"What?!" Nathan exclaimed pulling away from her.

"Remember, you promised not to get mad."

"Hales!"

"Look, Chase's family isn't going to be around. Plus, he hasn't seen Brooke or me since the summer. So he was wondering if he could visit and spend Thanksgiving with us."

"As your boyfriend, right?" he retorted.

"Only when everyone else is around. But…"

"Great," Nathan muttered sarcastically. "That's just great." He then walked over to the railing and placed his head in his hands. It was bad enough that they couldn't be together in front of their friends. But to watch her act like a couple with the guy he'd been jealous of in the first place was too much for him to handle.

"Nathan," Haley said softly as she came to stand next to him. "Nathan, look at me." It took a few seconds before he finally glanced her way. "I know that this is hard. I'm not looking forward to all of this lying and pretending either. In fact, I loathe it. I want so badly for everyone to just know the truth that we're together. I want that more than anything. But, unfortunately, it's still not the right time."

"I know that. And I know that Chase is only your friend. It's just…" he trailed off trying to find the right words. "…I don't know how I'm going to handle it, because it's going to drive me crazy, Hales. I'm going to have to sit there and watch him touch you and kiss you…"

"Nathan, he's not going to kiss me."

"Haley, he's going to have to for it to look real in front of everyone."

"He doesn't have to kiss me on the mouth," she argued. "Besides, do you think that Matt is really going to want to see that? He may have agreed to give Chase a chance, but that doesn't mean he won't get mad if Chase is all over me."

Nathan sighed and shook his head. "This is still gonna suck."

"I know," Haley replied as she rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "But I promise that after this, it'll be over. I'll figure out a way to 'end it.' Ok? We just have to get through Thanksgiving."

"That's easier said than done," he mumbled.

"Nathan, please. Chase is my friend. I don't want him to be alone for the holidays. And I really think that you'll like him once you meet him. He's a good guy."

"I don't know," Nathan said uneasily.

"Please, Nathan," Haley tried again. "Can you just try to go along with it for me? You promised that we'd face this together. I already hate lying to my family but with Chase here, it's going to be even worse for me. I really need to know that you're behind me in all of this."

Nathan stared at her for a minute before bringing her into a tight embrace. "You know I am. I can't lie, though. I still don't like this at all. I mean, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't object to sharing you? But I do have your back. If you need me, I'm here." Technically, Nathan knew that he really didn't have a choice in the matter. Chase would be coming to Tree Hill whether he liked it or not. He and Haley would have to act like a couple whether he liked it or not. There was nothing Nathan could do but deal with it and give Haley the support that she needed.

Haley smiled before kissing him tenderly. "Thank you."

"Just don't fall for him again. Ok?" he attempted to joke.

"I never really fell for him in the first place. So trust me, that's the least of our worries." Nathan didn't reply. He just held onto her tighter and pressed his lips to hers. Haley immediately responded and opened her mouth to him to deepen the kiss. They both just wanted to enjoy each other, and the calm they had right now before the storm. Because in twelve days, there was no doubt in either of their minds that their world was, once again, going to be turned upside down.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, thank you all for the reviews and comments. I loved reading them. I'm also glad many of you guys agreed with my rant. It's nice to know others are getting frustrated, as well. Also, a few of you had some questions, so I'm going to answer them. Someone asked if I meant the story was going to be thirty chapters total or if there were thirty chapters left. I hadn't realized I worded it that weirdly, but I meant thirty chapters or a little bit more total. So I'm sorry if you guys thought it was the other way around and are now disappointed. **

**Also, there were a couple of people who were wondering why I didn't just have Haley say she and Chase broke up and then invite him for Thanksgiving as a friend. There are three reasons why I didn't have that happen. The first is that Haley's trying to get Matt used to her dating someone. Last chapter, only two weeks had passed since her brother first found out about Chase. So it wouldn't really look good, especially since she was defending herself and Chase so much, to say that it didn't work out. It would seem like Matt was right about her being too innocent and not able to handle a serious relationship. In this chapter, Matt will have known for about a month, so some time has passed. The second reason is that I think it would be weird for Haley to break up with Chase and then invite him for Thanksgiving to meet her family. Usually when you break up with someone, even if it is amicable, you need some space for a while. You wouldn't just act like everything is completely ok between the two of you and be automatic friends. That would be suspicious in front of the family. And third, I just think it's way better drama and more exciting to have Chase and Haley pretend to be together. Who doesn't love completely clueless relatives and a sexy, jealous Nathan?**

**I hope that clears things up. Enjoy the chapter. I'm giving you a little taste of what's to come. So please read and review! Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"This is a really bad idea," Haley mumbled against Nathan's lips.

"It's fine."

"We're going to get caught."

"Not if you stop talking."

"But everyone is downstairs."

"Haley, I told them I was going to the bathroom. Nobody is going to come up here. Besides, the door is locked."

Haley sighed, which quickly turned into a low moan, as Nathan's mouth attacked the tender skin of her neck. "You better be right about this." It was Thanksgiving Day, and everyone was at Haley's house. It was their turn to host dinner this year. Haley had originally gone upstairs to grab a sweater, since she'd been cold. But as she made her way back down the hallway, Nathan had seemed to pop out of nowhere and haul her into the bathroom. He then lifted her onto the counter, crashed his lips onto hers, and they'd been making out ever since.

"Trust me," he muttered. Nathan knew that Haley would be leaving with Brooke soon to go pick up Chase from the airport. Nathan didn't know when he'd get another chance to be alone with Haley again. He'd been dreading this day for almost two weeks. He had to have some contact with her to hold him over. Just the thought of Chase made Nathan kiss Haley more fiercely. They were both breathing heavily and most likely in need of air, but Nathan just couldn't pry his lips away from hers.

"Nathan," Haley whimpered softly when she felt one of his hands rubbing her thigh. She then grabbed onto his tie to bring him closer. _He should wear one of these more often_, she mused. It definitely had its advantages.

"Nathan, Haley, are you guys in there?" a voice loudly whispered on the other side of the door. "It's Taylor." The pair reluctantly separated. Haley then quickly hopped off of the counter and cracked the door open.

"What is it?"

"I hate to break up your little tryst…" she said with a teasing smirk "…but we have to get going. Chase's plane will be landing soon. Not to mention, the guys are wondering where Nathan is. I told them he's probably got diarrhea or something."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Tay. We'll be right down." She then shut the door and turned back to Nathan.

Nathan sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Why did you have to tell your sister about us again?"

"She's just joking. Besides, she's really good at distracting people and providing alibis for us, so you should be nice to her."

"Whatever," Nathan mumbled stubbornly as he tried to fix his tie.

"I'll do that," Haley offered.

"Thanks."

A couple of seconds later, it was all straightened out. "Now you look handsome again."

"Well, you never stopped looking beautiful," he complimented with a charming smile. "You still look amazing in that dress."

Haley rolled her eyes playfully while swatting his arm. "I figured you'd like it." She'd decided to wear a light green, bubble-hem tank dress with a satin bodice. It showed off her legs and a little bit of cleavage in a tasteful manner. Her family always got dressed up for Thanksgiving. "Now stop it before you make me blush."

"You're already blushing," he pointed out smirking. Haley smiled despite her best efforts not to. She then turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wanted to make sure that she didn't look like Nathan had just ravaged her in the bathroom.

"Why don't you go downstairs first? I'll follow in a couple of minutes," she suggested.

"If I have to," he mock sulked.

"Go."

"Alright," Nathan sighed. "But I'm going to miss you." Haley could see his face in the mirror. His expression was no longer teasing. He was serious, and Haley knew exactly what he was thinking. Once he went downstairs and Chase arrived, they could be nothing more to each other than friends. Haley turned around and cupped his face with her small hands. She then kissed him tenderly.

"I'm going to miss you, too." Nathan nodded and gave her one more quick peck on the lips before he was out the door. Haley took a few more minutes to look over her appearance and get her emotions under control. When she was finally ready, she headed downstairs. She then made her way into the living room where everyone else was seated.

"Tutor Girl, are you ready to go?" Brooke asked.

Haley nodded. "Yeah."

"Wait, don't go yet," Lydia said. "Let me fix your hair real quick, Haley Bop."

"Mom," Haley groaned as a flash went off. "Dad!" She could hear her friends all holding back laughs.

"What? I just wanted to take a picture of you before he gets here." _Of course my parents have to go bananas when they find out my "boyfriend" is coming. _Haley was beginning to think that they were more excited to see Chase than she was. They'd practically jumped for joy when she told them a week ago that she had a boyfriend, and he was coming to visit.

"And I just wanted to make sure you looked perfect—which now you do. This is the first time you're going to see Chase in a few months, after all," Lydia stated.

"Well, we really have to go. We don't want to be late and leave poor Chase stranded," Brooke announced. Haley sent her a thankful look before they made their way out of the house.

"Wait for me," Taylor called following them out the front door.

"Why are you coming?" Brooke asked.

"I want to see Chase before he and Haley have to go into couple mode."

Haley frowned. "Why?"

"Because he's hott and it's not like I can flirt with him when we get back. My chance is now. Duh," she stated while taking off running to Brooke's car. "I call shotgun!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Brooke said while shaking her head. "Did I not tell you that she is like Tess?"

Haley couldn't help but laugh. _Only Taylor_. "Let's just go."

* * *

Nathan sat on the couch and tried to keep his attention on the TV screen. While the adults all got dinner ready, Matt and Lucas were watching a basketball game on ESPN. The score was really close, but Nathan just couldn't seem to get into it. All he would do was watch the clock and wonder if Chase had arrived yet. If he and Haley were hugging and getting reacquainted. It really sucked just sitting around and waiting for your girlfriend to come back with her "boyfriend."

"Is there anything else on TV?" Solaris questioned. "I'm sick of watching sports. Doesn't Macy's have that big parade of theirs today?"

"No," Matt answered.

"You didn't even check," she pointed out.

Matt barely took his eyes away from the TV. "I checked before. There's nothing."

Solaris rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"Here," Nathan said while passing her Taylor's _Cosmopolitan_ magazine that was on the coffee table. The poor girl looked bored out of her mind.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile.

"You're welcome, babe," Matt muttered.

"I wasn't talking to you," Solaris commented.

"Huh?" Matt asked finally looking at her.

"Just forget it."

"Yes!" Lucas shouted as one of the players scored a basket. "That was an awesome shot."

"Damn, I missed it," Matt groaned.

"Nate, did you see that?" Lucas questioned.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I saw it."

Lucas looked at him curiously. "What's the matter with you today?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"I don't know. You've been quiet and in a weird mood all morning. And since when do you not get into basketball?"

"I'm just tired. That's all," Nathan lied.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Either that or he's as apprehensive as I am to meet this Chase guy," Matt spoke up.

"What?" Nathan questioned feeling slightly panicked.

Matt shrugged. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm dreading this."

"Why?" Lucas inquired.

"Because it's easier to envision some faceless, less threatening guy dating your little sister when you don't actually know him. What if he's a psycho or some asshole? How the hell am I supposed to sit back and let Haley be with someone like that?"

"He's not like that," Solaris spoke up. "An asshole would not send his girlfriend flowers and loves notes."

"But a psycho would," Matt pointed out.

Lucas sighed. "For the thousandth time, Chase is not a psycho. I've talked to him. He's a nice, normal guy."

"Well, I'll be the judge of that," Matt stated as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

Nathan frowned. "What is that?"

"It's a list of questions I plan to ask Chase," he answered.

"You are so weird," Lucas mumbled while shaking his head.

"Matt, it's Thanksgiving. Not the time for an interrogation," Solaris declared.

"I'm not going to interrogate him. I just want to know a little bit more about him. There's nothing wrong with that."

"A little bit?" Nathan asked as he looked over the paper in Matt's hand. "You've got thirty questions on this one side alone."

"So?" Nathan rolled his eyes and sunk back into the couch. If this is how Matt acted with a stranger, it just made Nathan dread how he'd act when he finds out about him and Haley.

"Hey, boys, could one of you come into the kitchen and help us with something?" Karen called.

"I'll go," Nathan declared. He already needed an escape…and maybe some fresh air.

* * *

"Do you see him yet?" Brooke asked. The three girls were now at the airport watching people exit Chase's plane. There was a little bit of a crowd, so it was hard to spot him.

Haley shook her head. "Nope."

"Ooh, he's a hottie," Taylor commented as some buff blonde guy walked past them.

"Taylor, focus," Haley requested.

"Oh, sorry."

"Oh my God, I see him! Chase! Chase! Over here!" Brooke started shouting and waving her hands in the air.

"God, she's embarrassing," Taylor muttered under her breath. Haley nudged her and gave her sister a look to be good. However, it didn't take long before Taylor's eyes honed in on Chase's approaching figure.

"Hey, Brooke," Chase greeted as the bubbly brunette flew into his arms. "Long time no see."

"I missed you, buddy," Brooke replied. "You look so good. Have you been working out?" Haley laughed as she saw Brooke squeeze his bicep.

"Maybe a little," Chase chuckled. He then turned to Haley. "Love muffin, aren't you going to give your hott and sexy bf a hug, too?"

Haley laughed before entering his embrace. "It's so good to see you."

"You, too." A second later, Taylor cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh, Chase, this is my sister Taylor," Haley introduced after they'd broken apart.

"It's nice to meet you," Chase stated politely and held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Taylor replied while giving him her signature charming smile. "Haley has told me so much about you."

"It was all good I hope," he joked.

"It was. Although, she did neglect to tell me how handsome you are in person. Her pictures of you hardly do you justice," she complimented.

"You think so?" Chase questioned with an intrigued tone.

"Oh, I know so."

"I think I'm going to puke," Brooke muttered as the pair continued to flirt. She and Haley then shared a look. Somehow, Haley just wasn't surprised that they automatically hit it off. The world was such a screwy place. "Can you guys put some ice on it? I'd like to be able to eat dinner."

"Why? You're just going to throw it up again later," Taylor quipped.

"Just because I have a smaller ass than you does not mean that I'm bulimic," Brooke stated. "Some of us just prefer to eat healthily rather than constantly binging on beer and junk food."

"Well, I'd rather binge than purge."

"As you can see, they don't get along," Haley said to Chase as the two started to sling more insults at one another.

"Clearly," Chase laughed.

"Do have anymore luggage you need to pick up?" Haley questioned.

Chase nodded. "Yeah. It's just my one suitcase. I just have my laptop in this case."

"Ok, let's go."

"What about them?" Chase asked. Haley looked back at her the arguing pair.

"They'll notice we're gone eventually." She didn't feel like getting in the middle of those two today.

"Nice," Chase chuckled as they made their way to the luggage claim. "So, where's the Kissing Bandit? I thought he would've come with you."

"_Nathan_…" she stressed. "…stayed behind with the guys. And be good because this isn't going to be easy on him."

"What isn't?"

"Us acting like a couple in front of everyone. Which reminds me, I have some rules."

"What kind of rules?"

"Rules about how we should act when we're in 'couple mode,'" Haley explained.

Chase gave her an amused smile. "I can't wait to hear these."

"Number one, no kissing me on the mouth. Only my cheek and/or forehead are acceptable," she began.

"Damn," Chase joked.

"Second, you are not allowed to call Nathan the Kissing Bandit anymore."

"Double damn."

"Third, do not mention that time that you took Brooke and me to that rave thing in L.A. Matt will possibly have a coronary before he murders you."

"Rave equals bad. Got it."

"And fourth, please refrain from flirting with my sister when we're in front of everyone. That really will not have a good result. Any questions?"

"Yeah, is your sister actually available or…"

"Chase," Haley warned.

"No, I don't have any questions. I get it."

"Ok then," Haley stated. "Now which bag is yours?"

"This one coming up," Chase replied before grabbing it.

"There you guys are! How could you leave me with _her_?!" a very angry Brooke exclaimed with Taylor following behind her.

"Well, Brookie, you guys looked like you were having so much fun that we just didn't want to interrupt," Chase kidded. "Right, love muffin?"

Haley smiled. "Right."

Brooke rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her hips. "You guys suck."

"One can only hope," Taylor commented while eying Chase. _Gross_, Haley thought. She didn't know how her sister could be so forward and say things like that without feeling embarrassed. Haley glanced over at Chase just in time to see his cheeks flame up a bit. He was also checking out Taylor. _They're practically having sex with their eyes_, she noted with a shudder.

Brooke turned to Haley. "Please make them stop."

"We better get going. Everyone's waiting for us," Haley reminded them. The four of them then made their way back to Brooke's car.

"Haley Bop, you can ride shotgun this time. I'll go in the back with Chase. It's only fair," Taylor declared.

Haley smiled sweetly at her. "Nice try, but no."

* * *

"Hey, everyone, I think they're here," Solaris announced as she looked out the living room window.

"Ooh, let me see," Lydia said while sprinting to the window. "Is that him? He's so cute! Jimmy, come get a look at Haley's boyfriend."

"I can't, honey. I'm trying to set up the camera."

"Dad, can you not?" Matt pled. "You're going to embarrass Haley…and the rest of us."

"That's if your list of sixty questions doesn't get thrown at him first," Lucas joked.

Matt elbowed him in the arm. "Shut up, man."

"The dining room is all set," Karen announced. "Keith's getting the turkey out of the oven now."

"What's all the excitement about?" Deb questioned as she joined the group.

"Haley's boyfriend from L.A. is here," Lucas answered.

"Oh, great. The rest of the food is done, so it won't get cold." Nathan watched as everyone around him waited anxiously for Chase to make his big entrance. If Thanksgiving didn't mean so much to his mom and Haley wasn't depending on him, he probably would've made up some excuse to leave already. _This is really going to suck_.

"Nathan, honey, are you ok?" Deb asked him softly. "You're looking a little pale. I hope you're not coming down with something."

Nathan shook his head. "I'm fine, Mom. I'm probably just hungry." _I wish,_ he thought sarcastically. A second later, the front door opened.

"Hey, everyone, we're back," he heard Brooke's voice call. The whole group then made their way into the foyer to greet their guest. Nathan followed behind. He glanced past everyone else until his eyes landed on Chase. He had dark hair, tanned skin, and was of medium height. Nathan wasn't sure if Chase was athletic, but he did appear to be somewhat fit.

"Ok, so I guess I should start with introductions," Haley stated. "Everyone, this is my boyfriend Chase from L.A. Chase, this is my mom and dad."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. James," Chase said politely as he shook their hands. "Thank you very much for letting me join you."

"It's nice to meet you, too, dear. And it's no trouble at all," Lydia replied kindly.

"Do you mind if I get a picture?" Jimmy asked.

"Dad, please, not now," Haley begged. She could feel her face turning red from embarrassment. She could hear siblings and friends snickering.

"Oh, alright. After dinner then."

"And this is my brother Matt and his girlfriend Solaris," Haley continued.

"Hey," Matt and Solaris greeted.

Chase nodded in their direction. "Hi."

"This is my good friend and Brooke's boyfriend Lucas."

"Hey, it's great to finally put a face to the voice," Chase commented as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Lucas laughed.

"Lucas' mom Karen and his uncle Keith are both in the kitchen right now. You'll see them in a few seconds," Haley stated. "This is Nathan's mom Deb."

"Hello, Chase. I hope you're hungry," she teased.

"I'm starved. Airplane food is not like it used to be," he joked.

Jimmy laughed. "Amen to that."

"And finally, Chase, this is Nathan," Haley finished as she stared intently between the two. She could practically hear her heart hammering in her chest.

Chase nodded and held out his hand. "It's great to finally meet you, Nathan."

It took all of the willpower Nathan had to smile politely and take his hand. This was the guy who actually dated Haley during the summer. The guy who came up with a plan to fool him. The guy who was going to pretend to be with Haley for the next few days. Nathan consciously had to remind himself to keep his grip light, because a part of him wanted nothing more than to squeeze Chase's hand until he broke his fingers. "You, too."

"Ok, everyone, the turkey and everything else is all set," Karen proclaimed.

"Well, then let's all head into the dining room. Shall we?" Jimmy proposed. The whole group started to follow him into the other room. Instinctively, Nathan's eyes sought out Haley. He saw Chase whisper something in her ear causing her to smile. A second later, his hand landed on the small of her back and snaked around her waist while guiding her into the dining room with the others. Nathan felt his body heat up and his fists clench at his sides until his knuckles were white. Now this was truly a form of torture.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone, I'm sorry for the long wait. Thank you for the reviews last chapter. I'm glad you all love jealous Nathan. And can I just say how adorable Jamie was at the beginning of last night's episode with Gavin DeGraw. Overall, I really liked the whole episode. My favorite parts were Laley talking about Haley's tattoo like old times, the pool scene with Naley, Brucas talking after Angie leaves, Naley getting at least one kiss in, and Nathan showing up Quentin on the court. His face was so priceless. I loved it! But what is up with another car crash? I don't get why the writers keep using that all of the time. I think that was the fifth car crash on the show if I'm not mistaken. **

**Also, I can't really figure out who Lucas called. I wish it was Brooke, but I don't think that it is. Although, I'd be ecstatic if I was wrong. My guess is either Lindsey or Peyton. I'm kind of leaning towards Peyton, as much as it makes me want to gag at the thought, because I'm not sure if they're bringing Lindsey back next season. I'm creating a new poll about this situation. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. So please read and review! Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Haley couldn't believe it. If she wasn't sitting at a table surrounded by family and friends seeing this with her own eyes, she would've thought that she was hallucinating. Matt liked Chase. Her brother, sometimes the biggest pain in the ass and most protective guy she knew, actually liked Chase. In fact, he loved him. The two hadn't stopped talking to each other throughout the entire meal. Haley shot a look to Taylor on the other side of the table. Her sister shrugged before smiling amused.

"Dude, I totally loved that movie," Matt declared.

"No way. Me, too," Chase stated. "My friends said I was crazy. They hated it."

"Please, it was pure genius."

"Definitely."

"I think we've entered the Twilight Zone," Brooke muttered behind Chase. He was sitting between them at the table. He didn't seem to take notice as he and Matt proceeded talking about some random movie.

"So, Chase," Jimmy cut in. "Haley told me that you are attending Stanford."

Chase nodded. "Yup."

"That's a great school. Haley actually got in, but she didn't end up going."

"Yeah, she told me," Chase stated. He then nudged her playfully. "But it's not too late to transfer." _That's it. Convince her to leave_, Nathan thought as he stabbed at the food in his plate. They weren't even halfway through the meal yet and already he was getting supremely annoyed. It didn't help that his seat had to be directly across from them, so he could see all of their "tender" moments.

Haley rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I happen to like THC. Thank you very much."

"What's your major?" Matt asked. Nathan noticed that he'd whipped his list back out and had it hiding under the table. Nathan shook his head discretely. It looked like Matt was finally back to questioning the guy rather than making nice with him.

"Civil engineering," Chase answered.

"Whoa, that's some heavy-duty stuff," Keith commented.

"Yeah, but I enjoy it."

Jimmy nodded. "That's what it's all about. You pick something you hate just for the money and I guarantee that you'll be miserable the rest of your life."

"Chase, honey, did you want some more mashed potatoes?" Lydia questioned.

"Sure. Thank you," Chase replied while passing her his plate. "So, what about you guys? What are you all majoring in?"

"Well…" Brooke began.

"I already know about you, Brooke," he laughed. "In fact, you didn't even have to tell me what you were going to study. All she talked about the entire summer was designers and the newest fashion trends."

"You said you didn't mind hearing it," Brooke pointed out.

"I lied," he joked as everyone at the table laughed.

"You're such a jerk," Brooke scolded before smacking him.

"She beats you up, too?" Lucas questioned amused.

Chase laughed. "All the time. I don't know who's worse, though. Haley hits pretty hard, too."

"I taught her that," Taylor piped up.

"Thanks," Chase replied teasingly.

Taylor gave him a pointed look and smile. "You're welcome."

Haley nudged Chase under the table before whispering so only he could hear, "Remember Rule Four." She knew her sister was being a little flirty. Haley also gave her a discreet look to behave.

"You know I only love you, love muffin," he muttered jokingly. He then turned his attention back to the others. "So, Matt, what are you studying?"

"Political science."

"That's cool. What about you, Lucas?"

"Literature."

"My Broody is going to be a famous author one day. Mark my words," Brooke proclaimed.

"I don't know about that," Lucas replied modestly.

"You will," both Keith and Karen chimed in at the same time. Everyone chuckled at that.

"Solaris?" Chase inquired.

"Public relations and fashion."

"Wow, a double major. Good luck."

"Thanks. I'm going to need it."

"Nathan, what's your major?" he finally asked.

"Business," he answered.

"Interesting. Do you know what you want to do yet?"

Nathan shrugged. "Not really." He then returned his attention to his plate. Haley had to hold back the frown that was forming on her face. He'd barely talked to anyone throughout dinner or looked up. She was starting to worry.

"He could maybe be a big-time basketball coach someday. He's played for a long time, and now he and Lucas actually help to coach the basketball team at school," Haley spoke up. Nathan had a lot of great things ahead of him. She was really proud of him. She didn't know why he was being so nonchalant about it.

Nathan glanced over at Haley for a second before looking away. Chase's arm was around her shoulder while his fingers stroked her skin. _When the hell is this dinner going to be over?_ He knew that Haley and Chase were playing a part, but he was slowly starting to lose his self-control. They were so close together and always touching. It was making him so sick that he didn't even want to eat. Honestly, he just wanted to punch something.

"That'd be awesome," Chase commented. "You'd probably get a lot of perks with a job like that."

"Speaking of the team, how's it doing?" Keith questioned. Nathan kept his mouth shut and gestured for Luke to answer. He could feel Haley's eyes on him still, but he refused to look at her.

"It's ok, but I'm pretty sure that's about to change," Lucas answered. "We've just recruited two new guys who are really good."

"Oh my God, did Jake and Skills finally agree to join the team?" Brooke asked. "They told me they were considering it."

"Yeah. They're going to start training with us on Tuesday." As Lucas started to explain about the team and how they were doing this season, Nathan listened on half-heartedly. It wasn't long before Matt and Chase joined in on the conversation, too. It seemed like they were best buddies now. Nathan was still having a hard time believing that one. Matt never warmed up to anyone that fast.

A few seconds later, though, Nathan was brought out of his muddled thoughts when he felt something on his left leg. He initially thought that maybe Solaris, since she was sitting next to him on that side, had bumped into him accidentally. Everyone was kind of squished in together at the table. But when he felt someone's foot make its way up his leg, he immediately knew who it was. Nathan then looked across the table at Haley. She was talking to Brooke, but he noticed her gazing at him out of the corner of her eye. He was half tempted to engage in a game of footsie with her until he saw Chase's other hand take Haley's—their fingers intertwined. He then moved his leg away and pretended to actually be involved in his friends' conversation.

Haley tore her gaze away from Brooke to look at Nathan. _Did he just brush me off?_ She found his leg a second time, but Nathan moved it away yet again. He wouldn't look at her either. Now something was definitely up.

"Since everyone is almost done, I'm going to go frost the cake," Karen announced.

"Actually, Karen, I'll do it," Haley quickly spoke up. "You've done enough with dinner and everything. You should relax."

"Are you sure?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah." She then got up and made her way into the kitchen. _Come on, Haley. Think._ This was the perfect time to somehow pull Nathan aside and talk to him. Now she only needed an excuse. A second later, it came to her. Haley walked back into the dining room.

"Nathan, do you think that you could help me? You're tall. I need another container of frosting, but it's on the top shelf. I can't reach," Haley stated.

"Uh, sure," he replied before excusing himself from the table. "Where is it?" he asked once they were in the kitchen.

"What's going on with you?" Haley asked getting straight to the point.

Nathan looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Nathan, you've barely said a word or looked at me since dinner started."

"We're supposed to be inconspicuous, Hales," Nathan pointed out. "I'm just playing along."

"I know that, but I can see that something is off," she said. "And I'm not the only one who's starting to notice now. I saw Lucas and your mom watching you a couple of times."

"So?"

"So, it's obvious that something is up with you. You're not usually this quiet."

"Haley, what do you want me to do?" Nathan snapped. "I've had to watch you and Chase make nice and be all over each other during dinner. That doesn't exactly put me in a talkative mood."

Haley sighed. "Nathan, this is hard for me, too, but…"

"Are you sure? Because the two of you seemed pretty damn comfortable with each other in there."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haley questioned taken aback.

Nathan opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it. His temper was already at its peak, and he didn't want to say something that he might regret later. It wasn't even Haley that he was angry at. She'd been dreading all this pretending as much as he had. It was just his damn jealousy trying to take over. "Nothing. Never mind."

Haley crossed her arms. "No, I want to know."

"Look, I'm sorry. It's nothing," Nathan said as he brought his hand gently to her cheek. "I just don't like sharing you. That's all." Haley remained silent as she looked at him.

"You're lucky you look hott when you're jealous," she muttered a few seconds later—accepting his apology. Nathan smirked before kissing her softly. "But you have to calm down, Nathan. You don't have anything to worry about with Chase and me. You have me—even if no one in that room knows it yet."

"I know," he said with a nod and kissed her again.

"And please try to give Chase a chance," Haley added while making her way to the counter to start frosting the cake. "I really think that once you guys break the ice and start talking, you'll like one another."

"That's if I can pry him away from Matt first," he joked.

Haley laughed. "When did the two of you switch roles? He's usually the one wound up; not you."

Nathan shrugged. "I have no idea. Now where's this frosting you need? Everyone's going to wonder what's taking me so long."

"Oh, that was just an excuse for me to get you alone," Haley explained. "I already have enough."

"Very clever, Baby James."

"I know," she beamed. "But before you go, does this caramel frosting taste good to you? Maybe I should use vanilla instead." She then dipped her finger into the frosting and held it out to him. Nathan's smirk widened before his mouth covered her finger. Haley almost shivered when she felt him suck on it before flicking his tongue to get the frosting off.

"Not bad," he said. A second later, his lips were on hers in a deep, sensual kiss. "You taste better, though." Haley's whole body was instantly set aflame at his words. It didn't help that she could taste the caramel for herself as his tongue glided over hers.

"You have to go," Haley declared breaking the kiss. If they kept this up, they'd get caught for sure. Her mind was already getting a little hazy. She'd almost forgotten about her family and friends in the other room.

"Fine," he pouted teasingly. "I'll kiss you later."

"Be good," she warned as he left. He gave her a sexy wink and made his way back into the dining room. Suddenly, he was in a much better mood. But then again, Haley always did have a way of making him feel on top of the world.

"What took you so long?" Lucas questioned as Nathan took his seat.

"Why? Miss me?" he retorted cheekily causing everyone to laugh.

"Nathan," Deb said while shaking her head smiling.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Smart ass."

"I had to taste test," Nathan explained while trying to keep the wide grin from spreading across his face. However, that didn't stop Brooke, Taylor, and Chase from shooting each other knowing and amused looks of their own.

"I bet," Taylor muttered next to him. Nathan nudged her discretely with his arm, but it only satisfied her more. She'd always loved getting a rise out of him over the years.

"Hey, Nate, Chase agreed to join us for a game at the River Court tomorrow," Matt announced. "We're going to show him a thing or two."

"I'm warning you now. You're going to have to show me everything. I'm not exactly a sports-oriented guy," Chase declared.

"It's true," Brooke stated. "He can barely play volleyball. In fact, that's how he and Haley met. He and his friends were playing a game, and Chase ended up hitting the ball over the fence and into my pool."

"And splashing Haley in the process," Chase added.

"Nice," Taylor snorted. "I would've paid to see her face after that."

"Actually, it makes the two of you the perfect pair. Haley sucks at sports, too. The girl has absolutely no hand-eye coordination," Matt said. "It's kind of embarrassing."

"Hey! I heard that, MJ!" Haley shouted from the kitchen.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Matt yelled back.

"Then stop being a butthead!" Everyone at the table smirked at the siblings' banter.

"She got you there, MJ," Taylor teased.

"You're supposed to side with me. We're twins."

"So? I like Haley better," she quipped.

"Well, I'm older. So there!"

"By like a minute. When are you going to let that go?"

Matt scoffed. "Uh, never."

"You're such a…"

"You kids," Lydia interrupted laughing along with Jimmy. "Where did we go wrong?" Everyone continued to laugh and joke around at the table until Haley finally entered the dining room a couple of minutes later.

"Haley, that looks great," Karen complimented. Lydia and Deb then got up to clear away everyone's dirty dishes and bring out the rest of the desserts. Everyone soon settled back into normal conversation. Nathan was a lot less quiet and joined in on his friends' discussions. It was still hard to watch Chase and Haley together, but he sucked it up. And when he felt Haley's foot on his leg for the second time that evening, he didn't pull away.

* * *

"Yay, Broody!" Brooke cheered at the top of her lungs. "You show them whose boss!"

"Nice one, Jake!" Peyton called.

"You'll beat them next time, Matt!" Solaris joined in.

"Chase, that was…" Haley began before trailing off. He wasn't actually doing too well at the moment. He was right when he claimed to suck at basketball. It was the next day, and the entire gang was at the River Court hanging out. Jake and Skills only lived in the next town over, so the guys extended an invitation for them to join them, as well. The girls, meanwhile, were sitting on the picnic bench cheering on the guys while they played.

"No offense, but your man sucks at this," Peyton teased.

"Leave him alone. He can't help it if he's got more brains than brawn," Haley defended as she watched Chase bent over gasping for air. "Chase, do you want your water?" she called to him.

He shook his head. "I'm fine, babe. Maybe later."

"On the bright side, he's really cute," Solaris commented. Haley smiled before her eyes traveled over to Nathan. He was breathing heavily but still in tip-top shape. She'd almost melted on the table when he did a slam dunk a few moments ago. He looked so freaking sexy all sweaty with his muscles rippling. She really just wanted to take him into the nearby woods and have her way with him. It didn't help that they hadn't seen each other since yesterday at dinner. She and Brooke had spent the morning giving Chase a tour of the town.

"She's got that right," Taylor whispered to Haley.

"Down girl," Haley warned playfully.

"Hey, everyone, I got it," Tim announced as he walked from his car onto the court. He'd volunteered to go pick up some pizzas for all of them for lunch.

"Thank God! I'm starving," Brooke exclaimed.

"So, who wants a piece? Extra sausage," Tim joked while wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Dim, put some ice on it," Taylor muttered before swiping one of the boxes out of his hand. Instead of using the picnic table, everyone just sat in the middle of the court on the ground.

"Damn, this is good," Lucas muttered with a content sigh as he ate.

"That's funny. You always says the same thing to me," Brooke quipped.

Taylor made fake gagging noises. "Spare me."

"Screw you."

"Only if…"

"Here we go again," Matt muttered as the others laughed.

"Sweet. Cat fights are always entertaining," Skills commented. Nathan smiled as he watched his friends laugh and joke around. Overall, their afternoon together had been really fun. Nathan shot a look over to Haley. She was giggling at something Peyton was telling her. Nathan felt his smile widen as he watched her. She looked beautiful. He was already hot from playing basketball but staring at her just made his temperature rise even more. He'd also momentarily forgotten that there were other people around. It was both amazing and scary how Haley could capture his attention so completely with such little effort. Needing a drink and a way to occupy himself without staring at Haley—he really did not want to chance getting caught—Nathan walked over to the picnic table to grab his water.

"Good game," a voice said. Nathan looked to his right to see Chase standing next to him.

"Thanks," he replied while taking a seat on the bench.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Nathan shook his head wordlessly. The truth was he did kind of mind. He was being polite, because Haley asked him to. However, it was still hard for him to look at Chase without getting the sudden urge to pound him. "So, Haley told me that you used to go to Duke."

"Yeah. My freshman year," Nathan answered as he kept his gaze on his friends.

"I thought about going there for college for awhile. It's a good school. In the end, however, Stanford was just a better fit. That must have been great to play ball at Duke, though. I'm not really a sports person, but even I know that it's the team to beat. Haley said…"

"It was a while ago," Nathan interrupted. "I'm not a ball player anymore." The last thing he felt like talking about with this guy was the past.

"Are you sure? Because you guys were totally kicking our asses out there," Chase joked. Nathan shrugged. A couple of minutes of silence then passed between them. "Haley failed to mention that you weren't much of a talker."

"Well, I'm sure you know the old phrase. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

Chase sighed. "I know that you're probably pissed, but I—"

"You don't know anything about me," Nathan retorted.

"Maybe not, but I do know that you make Haley happy," Chase stated. "I've never seen her so animated before. In L.A, she would smile and laugh, but it wasn't hard to see that something was bothering her. That something was missing. She didn't even mention you until the end of the summer. After I heard everything, the pieces started to fall into place."

"And you came up with a plan to trick me," Nathan said.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I really am. But I came up with that plan to help Haley. She had it bad for you, and I knew that she was trying to let go. She mentioned that you were dating Peyton, so I figured that maybe if she said she was taken, then it would be less pressure on her. It would give her a chance to either move away from you or be friends without it looking forced."

"What about all of the gifts and notes? Was that really necessary?" Nathan questioned.

"I'm not going to lie. I did want to torture you a little bit."

Nathan quirked an eyebrow. "A little bit?"

"Ok, a lot," he admitted. "Haley and I became really close friends. It killed me to see how upset she was before going home. She's a great girl, and I just wanted you to see what you were missing." Nathan stared at Chase for a few moments. It was obvious that he cared about Haley. He could see the sincerity in his eyes. A second later, though, a troubled thought popped into his head.

"You're not still into her, are you?" His tone became slightly edgier.

"No," Chase said while meeting his gaze head on. "She's just a good friend. Besides, even if I did like her like that, which I don't, there's no way in hell I'd be able to get her away from you."

Nathan couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face at that. "That's for damn sure." Chase laughed in response.

"So, what do you say? You think that we can put this all behind us and start fresh?" Chase proposed afterward. "Because I'm starting to fear for my life with all the death glares you've been giving me."

"Sorry," Nathan apologized. "I guess your plan really did work—too well, in fact. Anyway, we're cool, man." The two then shook hands. Nathan wasn't going to stay mad at the guy. At least he had the decency to make an effort with him and apologize. "Just watch the hands while you're pretending, and I won't have to snap your neck," he warned jokingly.

"Got it," Chase replied with a nod. "And make sure that you take care of Haley. Otherwise, I'm gonna hurt you. I may not be the biggest guy, but I'll totally go all Tae Kwon Do on your ass."

Nathan laughed. "Got it."

"So, uh, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Chase spoke after a few seconds.

"No, go ahead," Nathan replied.

"What's up with Taylor?"

Nathan looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Is she seeing anyone? Does she like anyone? That sort of thing."

Nathan stared at Chase for a second before a large smirk formed on his face. "Do you have a thing for her?"

"Will I get killed if I say 'yes?'"

Nathan shook his head and laughed. He had no problem if Chase was interested in Taylor—just as long as it wasn't Haley. "No. But I'd be careful with her. She's a wild one."

"Really?" Chase asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "One time, she broke into a rival school with us. It was crazy…"

* * *

Haley stood near the water's edge away from the rest of the group. She was really glad that everyone was able to get together today. Chase seemed to really fit in with their group. Haley smiled as she watched he and her brother talking excitedly about God knows what. She was going to be sad when Chase left in a couple of days. A part of her wished that he did live in Tree Hill. The other part, however, couldn't wait until this whole charade they had going on was over. Not only was pretending to be a couple difficult, but it was extremely exhausting.

"Hey." Haley jumped at the voice and placed a hand on her heart.

"You scared me."

"Sorry," Nathan apologized. "I just wanted to check on you. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," she said. "Except for the part where I miss you."

"I'm right here."

"No, you're not," Haley stated softly. Nathan wanted to argue against that but knew she was right. He wasn't really with her at the moment—at least not in the way they both wanted him to be. They stood next to each other in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Haley spoke up, "I saw you talking to Chase before."

"Yeah."

"You seemed to be getting along after a while," she noted.

Nathan shrugged nonchalantly. "He's not too bad."

"If you say so," Haley said with a knowing smile. She could see that Nathan's opinion of Chase had changed now, and she was glad for it. Nathan shot a look over to his friends on the court and noticed that they were all distracted for a moment. He then quickly grabbed Haley's hand and led her behind a large, nearby tree.

"Nathan, what are you—" She was cut off by his lips on hers. Haley sighed contently at the contact. She kissed him hungrily and pulled him closer—knowing they probably wouldn't have another opportunity to be together like this later. It seemed like all they had lately were stolen moments.

"Haley," someone called. _Speak of the devil_, she thought. The two quickly sprang apart at the sound of Matt's voice. Nathan wiped at his mouth making sure that none of Haley's lip gloss was on him. Haley ran a hand through her hair to fix it up. She then stepped out from behind the tree with Nathan—making sure a huge gap was between them.

"What's up?" she asked in a casual tone.

"I was wondering where you were. What are you guys doing over here?"

"Um…" Haley trailed off as she tried to come up with something.

"I had to ask her advice about a project I have due in my class on Monday. Everyone was so loud over there that we had to find a quieter spot to talk."

"Oh, well, do you mind if I borrow Haley for a minute? I'd like to talk to her, too," Matt stated.

"Sure," Nathan replied. He briefly glanced at Haley before leaving the two alone.

Haley nervously fiddled with her hands as she faced her brother. "What did you need to talk about?"

"I just wanted to get you alone so that I could apologize," he said.

Haley stared at him surprised. "For what?"

"I know that I gave you a lot of crap about Chase before. And when I first found out that he was coming here, I dreaded it. I really didn't want to give him a chance even though I promised you I would try. But based on what I saw at dinner last night and today, he seems like a really good guy. I can tell that he cares about you a lot and will treat you right. That's all I've ever wanted for you, baby sis," he declared.

"Matt…"

"So, what I guess I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for doubting you. You were right. And I promise to trust your instincts more from now on." Haley gave him a small smile as her stomach lurched. She knew that he meant his words to be encouraging and sweet. Unfortunately, it felt more like a knife through the heart. It figured that the time when she finally earned her brother's full trust, she was actually lying to him. _I'm a horrible person_, she thought dejectedly.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied while pulling her into a hug. Haley was glad that they weren't facing one another at that exact moment. Otherwise, Matt surely would've seen the single tear that escaped and slid down her cheek.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys, thank you for the comments. Here's the next chapter. Please read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 24**

"Oh my God, I'm dead," Peyton moaned as she collapsed onto the mat along with Haley and Brooke. It was two weeks later, and the girls were at cheer practice.

"Ten minutes, girls, then we're going over the routine again," Solaris announced.

"Ugh, shoot me," Brooke muttered. "Was I this tough when I was captain?"

"Worse," Haley replied. They had a big game coming up next week, and Solaris, like usual, wanted their performance to be perfect. They're practices were getting longer and much more rigorous. "But I wouldn't complain. Just look at the basketball team." The girls looked over at the court and saw the guys doing suicides backwards. It was their fourth set in a row.

"That sucks," Peyton commented with a shudder.

Brooke quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Because if I'm not mistaken, didn't I just see you eyeing Jake's hot, sweaty body a few times? It looked an awful lot like you were enjoying it."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, P. Sawyer," Brooke scolded. "You guys were totally having cheer sex."

"We were not!"

"He winked at you, and you smiled back."

"We were just joking around."

Brooke shook her head. "I know what I saw."

"You guys have been spending a lot of time together lately," Haley added. "And don't think that I haven't noticed the heavy flirting going on in class."

"Well, we were…" Peyton trailed off grasping for words. Haley and Brooke looked at one another and smiled.

"Spill it, girlie," Brooke ordered.

Peyton sighed. "Ok, something did happen. But if I tell you guys, you have to promise not to flip out or tell anyone."

"We promise," Haley stated while Brooke nodded in agreement.

"Jake and I…well…we sort of…slept together."

"WHAT?!" Haley and Brooke screeched—capturing the attention of everyone in the gym.

"Great," Peyton muttered.

"Is there a problem over there, ladies?" Whitey called.

"We thought we saw a mouse," Brooke replied. "We were wrong. Carry on."

Whitey rolled his eyes. "Thank you for the go ahead, Miss Davis," he said sarcastically. "Boys, get into your teams. Now!"

"Grouch," Brooke mumbled with a pout. Haley, however, was relieved when they were no longer the center of attention.

"Peyton, we're so sorry," Haley apologized. "That was just…"

"Awesome," Brooke finished perking up again. "Now when, where, and how was it?"

"I don't know if I should say anything. Another outburst like that and the whole campus will know something is going on," Peyton said.

"Don't be so overdramatic. Nobody knows what we're talking about. Besides, the shocking part is over. Now get to the good stuff."

"I don't kiss and tell."

"You did more than kissing—which is why it's perfectly fine for you to tell us about it."

"Tigger, if she doesn't want to…" Haley began. She didn't want Peyton to feel like she was being forced to share the details. It was private and totally her choice what to disclose.

"Quiet, Tutor Girl. Peyton?" Brooke urged.

"It happened two nights ago, we were in Jake's room, and it was great," Peyton answered. "Really great."

"I don't doubt that. Sweet guys are really good in bed. Broody may be shy sometimes, but he is so amazing at—"

"Brooke, do not even finish that sentence," Haley warned. She then turned to Peyton. "So, what does this mean? Are you and Jake together now?"

Peyton shrugged. "I don't know. We haven't had the talk yet. But we're going to hang out later today, so we'll see what happens."

"Would you go out with him if he asks you?" Brooke inquired.

"Yeah, I would," Peyton answered. "I really like him…a lot. I think I'm ready to put myself back out there."

"Peyton, that's so great," Haley exclaimed. "You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks."

"So, seeing as though you're going to be busy tonight, I'm guessing that you won't want to come to Tric with us," Brooke stated.

"Oh, you guys are going tonight?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah. We're all going to meet there around eight o'clock."

"Well, I don't know for sure but maybe Jake and I will join you all later. It depends," Peyton told them. "I'll text you."

"Ok," Haley responded. A second later, all three of them jumped when they heard a loud crash. They turned to face the court to see what all of the commotion was about. "Uh oh."

"Son of a bitch!" Nathan could hear Whitey curse as he and Lucas rushed to break up the fight between Quentin and Skills. Ever since Skills and Jake had joined the team, there had been a lot of tension. As Nathan had anticipated, Quentin did not take the news of their addition to the team well. The other guys got along with Jake and Skills and had no problem playing with them. The team as a whole was doing better, as a result. Quentin, however, did not like his sudden loss of control among the guys. His bad attitude would often rear its ugly head. And when it did, Skills was always right there to put him in his place. He was one of the only guys who wasn't afraid to challenge him.

"Quentin, back off," Nathan ordered as he held him back.

"This is my fucking team! You hear me?!" Quentin yelled at Skills.

"Like hell it is you punk-ass bitch!" Skills shouted back. "Maybe if you stopped crying like a baby, you'd actually be able to make a decent play this week."

"Skills, cool it," Lucas intervened.

"Fuck you, Ski—" Quentin started.

"That's enough!" Whitey shouted as he threw his clipboard on the ground. "Quentin, sit your ass down on that bench and calm down."

"Like hell I will—"

"NOW!" Whitey boomed.

"Get off me, man," Quentin gritted out as he pushed Nathan away. He then finally took a seat on the bench.

"Skills, you can sit over there," Whitey instructed as he pointed to the opposite end. "The rest of you can continue the game. Lucas, watch them."

"Yes, Coach," Lucas replied before going to supervise the team. Nathan, meanwhile, stayed by Whitey to make sure that Skills and Quentin stayed on their respective sides.

"I am not going to tolerate this childish behavior anymore. I've had it," Whitey declared as he looked between Quentin and Skills.

"Coach, he—"

"Shut it, Quentin. I don't want to hear it. You've done nothing but tear this team down all season and the last. All you care about is yourself. You constantly leave your teammates hanging out there and are always running your mouth. I recruited Jake and Skills, because they are talented players like you. I was hoping that you'd see how well you all compliment each other. If you would put your damn pride aside for a minute and actually try to play with them, there is no doubt in my mind that this team would make it to the playoffs again this season," Whitey explained. "But seeing as though it is completely beyond your capability, you leave me no choice. I'm suspending you for a month."

Quentin's head snapped up at that. "What?"

"I refuse to let you practice with us or play in anymore games until you get it through that thick head of yours that this is a _team _sport. You will not screw everyone over again."

"But, Coach, you can't do that!" he protested.

"And if you cause anymore problems, I'll take in one step further. You'll be off the team completely," Whitey warned.

"Coach, I'm here on a scholarship," Quentin said. "You can't take this away from me. Basketball is the only reason I can even go here."

"Whether basketball and your scholarship is taken away from you is not up to me. It's up to you. So if I were you, I'd think long and hard about all of this. Is acting like a diva really worth sacrificing your future? Now go hit the showers. You're not needed anymore today."

"Coach."

"Go," Whitey ordered before picking up his clipboard and turning to face the team. Nathan watched shocked as Quentin got up and made his way to the locker room—the doors slamming loudly behind him. He knew that Whitey was getting fed up, but he hadn't expected him to actually suspend Quentin. Nathan wouldn't object, though. Quentin needed to finally be put in his place. At least the team wouldn't suffer now that they had Skills and Jake.

"Skills, get back in there," Whitey called. "And try not to get into anymore fights. We can't afford losing you, too." Skills nodded before joining the game. Nathan walked over to stand next to Lucas.

"That was interesting," Lucas muttered.

"About time if you ask me," Nathan replied. He looked over towards the girls and saw that most of the squad was still staring at the scene in interest. Haley and Brooke, however, appeared concerned.

"I'm going to need a drink tonight," Lucas declared. "Are you coming to Tric?"

Nathan frowned. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"I just thought that maybe you'd be out with your new mystery girl," Lucas teased. "You haven't been around much lately."

"There is no mystery girl," Nathan denied. "I've just been busy."

"Please, I wasn't born yesterday. All of the nice clothes, coming home late, smell of flowery perfume on you…"

"It's nothing like that."

"Not to mention, you've always got that 'I-just-got-laid' smirk."

"Lucas, just drop it," Nathan snapped.

"You know, I'm surprised it's taken you this long to get with someone. I mean, you and Peyton have been done for a while. This new one must be a real firecracker in the sack for you to—"

"She's not like that," Nathan blurted out before he could stop himself. He couldn't help it. He didn't like hearing Luke or anyone else talking about Haley like that.

"Aha! So there is a girl. I knew I was right," Lucas declared satisfied. Nathan mentally kicked himself after that. It was bad enough that Lucas had started getting nosy these last couple of weeks. Now he had actually confirmed his suspicions. _Nice one, idiot_, he berated himself.

"Whatever," Nathan mumbled as he stared at the guys on the court.

"Come on, Nate, I was just joking," Lucas stated.

"Well, I'm not laughing."

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Whoever I'm seeing or not seeing isn't any of your business, Luke. So I'd appreciate it if you stopped hounding me about this."

"Ok, fine. I won't say another word," Lucas said as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Thank you."

"Guys, that's enough for today. Hit the showers," Whitey called several minutes later. "Lucas, come here for a minute. I need your help."

"Coming, Coach," Lucas replied.

"I'm going to start reviewing some of the game footage," Nathan declared before taking off towards the locker room. He could feel Luke's curious eyes on him, and it was making him uneasy. Nathan needed a moment to get away and gain back some control. All of Luke's questions lately were throwing him for a loop. He really could not afford another slip-up.

* * *

"Damn, I'm tired," Matt groaned as he plopped down into his chair. The whole group was at Tric. The girls were on the dance floor while the guys hung out at the table.

"I told you not to dance with Solaris so early on," Lucas said. "Now you're going to be exhausted the rest of the night. I learned that the hard way."

"Even I know that," Tim chimed in.

"I thought you guys were just kidding," Matt defended.

Nathan shook his head. "Nope. Now you have to suffer."

"Great."

"Oh my God, it's crazy over there," Brooke exclaimed as the girls made their way back to the table a couple of minutes later.

"I'm hot. I need a drink," Solaris said while fanning herself.

"Have them get it. I'm pooped," Matt stated. "Ow! Taylor, what the hell?!" The others had to suppress their laughs as Matt rubbed the spot on his head that Taylor had just hit.

"Don't be an ass. Now get us some beverages. We're parched," Taylor retorted.

Matt groaned before getting up and muttering under his breath, "Bitch."

Taylor smiled smugly. "Thanks, MJ." He just waved her off while mumbling a few more obscenities under his breath. "I love torturing him."

"Aw, leave him alone. I think we tired him out," Haley said.

"Please, if anything, he could use the exercise."

"Bitch much?" Brooke questioned.

"Whore much?" Taylor countered.

"Please don't start again. You guys are going to give me a headache," Haley interrupted. Taylor and Brooke had already gotten into three arguments within the last hour. Haley couldn't bear to hear another one.

"Where did Skills go?" Tim asked looking around.

"He's at the bar chatting up some skank," Brooke answered.

"Ooh, she has a friend. Sweet!"

Taylor frowned. "I thought that you and Theresa had a little something going on."

"It didn't work out. If you haven't noticed, she's kind of a stuck-up bitch. Now if you'll excuse me, The Tim has set his sights on a real woman and is not about to let her get away."

Brooke sighed. "Just go already, Dim."

"Right. Wish me luck!" He then whipped around and almost collided with Matt. Lucas sprang up to grab a few of the glasses before he dropped them.

"Watch it, Dim!" Matt berated him. "And here are your stupid drinks."

"Thanks, Matt," Haley replied. A couple of minutes later, everyone settled into casual conversation. However, it wasn't long before Haley felt Nathan's hand on her knee under the table. Instantly, her skin started to heat up as everyone's voices faded into the background. All she could focus on was his touch.

"…Haley? Haley?" Matt questioned before waving a hand in front of her face. "Hello, earth to Haley!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Haley asked snapping out of it.

"Did you talk to Chase recently? He was supposed to send me a bootleg version of this movie I wanted."

"Isn't that illegal?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Don't go all goody goody on me, Haley Bop. The next time you talk to him, can you just ask him if he already sent it?"

"Um, sure. But it might be a little while before I talk to him again," she replied. Haley then shot a look to Brooke and Taylor. A second later, Haley felt Nathan's hand take one of her own. They all knew what she was about to say. They had all decided that this was the best explanation. Haley had just been waiting for the right time to bring it up.

"Why?" Matt asked curiously.

"We…uh…we broke up yesterday," Haley said. It took a minute before the shock finally registered on Matt, Lucas, and Solaris' faces. Of course, Nathan, Brooke, and Taylor's surprise to the news was fake.

"Who broke up with who? I like Chase, but if it was him, I'll kill him," Matt declared.

"No, he didn't do anything," Haley clarified. She could already see Matt's protective side taking over. "It was a mutual decision. The whole long-distance thing has been hard. As great as seeing each other during Thanksgiving was, it just made us realize how much farther apart we really are. He's got his life in California, and I'm here. We agreed to stay friends, though."

Matt sighed. "I'm sorry, Haley Bop. I really thought everything would work out with the two of you. He seemed like a nice guy."

"He is," Haley replied. "And if you guys still want to talk to him and be friends, then that's fine. I'm sure Chase would like that, because he really enjoyed visiting and getting to know everyone."

"Is there anything you need us to do?" Lucas offered.

"No. I'm sure I'll be fine," Haley responded. "I just need some time, you know?" Everyone nodded and was silent for a few moments. Nathan soon felt Haley remove her hand from his. She then mumbled something to everyone about going to the ladies room. He stared after her worriedly. He knew that all of this lying was really starting to weigh down on her. Her hand had been slightly shaking in his as she told the others about the "breakup."

"Brooke, Taylor, maybe you should go check on her," Nathan suggested. He didn't want Haley to be alone.

* * *

Haley sat alone on the steps outside of Tric on the side of the building. She needed some fresh air. Haley also hadn't wanted anyone to see the tears that were already starting to fall from her eyes. She'd been lying for months now. But the one she told tonight felt like the icing on the cake. Haley looked her brother and friends in the eyes again and told them that she and Chase were no longer together. She fooled them into believing one thing, only to switch the story around and convince them of another. It was a constant game of back and forth, and none of it was true. It also didn't help that they all seemed to really like Chase.

Haley shut her eyes and placed her head in her hands. She was so upset that she felt sick. She desperately wished that this mess would go away. That it would somehow work itself out. But she knew it wouldn't. And what was worse was that she wasn't alone. Brooke, Taylor, Chase, and Nathan were all a part of it. She wouldn't be the only person to blame when the truth eventually came out. They'd be held responsible, too. And what would happen then? Would they still stand by her? Or would they turn their backs on her completely? She'd understand if they did. She wasn't very proud of herself either lately.

There were two people, however, that Haley was worried about the most in all of this. The first was Taylor. Taylor was always covering for her. If she and Nathan disappeared for a minute or weren't around, it was her sister who made up the excuse. Haley hated putting her in that position. It was bad enough she was lying to Matt. But both of them doing it was going to be devastating to their brother. Not to mention the fact that Taylor was into Chase herself. They'd spent some alone time together just before Chase returned to California. Haley had even caught them making out at Brooke's house just before Chase's flight had to leave. They'd been secretly keeping in touch since then, and Haley had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they officially got together. Despite the distance, both seemed like they wanted to give whatever they had a shot. Unfortunately, they, too, would have to be covert until the truth came out.

Then there was Nathan. There was no doubt in Haley's mind that Matt was going to flip out on him. She was off limits to his friends. It was the unspoken rule that he'd broken. And the price would surely be the end of their friendship. Haley didn't want that to happen. She couldn't bear it. Haley wasn't even sure how Lucas and Tim were going to take it. They might even shun Nathan, too, for going against Matt. Their whole group could be destroyed because of this. And the guilt that Nathan was probably feeling by being with her…that thought only made Haley sob harder.

She nearly jumped a moment later when she felt someone sit down beside her and take her in their arms. Just from the spicy scent of his aftershave, Haley automatically knew it was Nathan. He simply held her as she continued to cry. Once in a while, he would mutter a soft, comforting word. She clutched him tightly and buried her head in his chest.

When the girls had been gone for awhile, Nathan knew that something was wrong. He had started to search the club when he ran into Brooke and Taylor. They were looking for Haley, too. She hadn't been in the bathroom or anywhere else they searched. They all split up again to find her. He hadn't expected her to be outside, but decided to check anyway. Relief filled him up until he saw that she was crying. Nathan hated seeing Haley like this.

"What were we thinking?" she choked out.

Nathan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"How could we possibly think that this was going to work?"

"What will work?" he asked confusedly.

"This. You and me. Us being together," Haley clarified. "We made a mistake, Nathan. Nothing good can ever come of this!"

"Haley, don't talk like that. That's not true," Nathan objected.

"Really? Do you think that everyone is going to be happy when they find out? Matt's going to hate us. Lucas and Tim are probably going to be pissed. And then Peyton…she's going to be so hurt. We-I never should have started this. I should have just came home from L.A. and kept my big mouth shut. If I hadn't gone along with that stupid story about dating Chase…"

"Haley, this isn't your fault."

"Don't try to deny it, Nathan. You know it is!" Haley exclaimed before pulling away from him and standing up. She then walked down a few steps to the landing.

"Hales, I know that you're upset right now but—"

"I'm not just upset. Ok, Nathan? I think I'm beyond that at this point!" she said hyperventilating. She was crying so hard it was becoming difficult to breathe. It literally broke Nathan's heart to see her like this. She'd been stressed out more than usual lately, but he didn't think it had gotten this bad.

"Hales, look at me. Look at me," he ordered while grabbing her face. "You have to calm down. Ok? Just take a few deep breaths." Haley nodded before closing her eyes. She felt Nathan lean his forehead against hers as she tried to even out her breathing and calm down. His hand in her hair and the other rubbing her back soothingly seemed to help.

"I'm sorry," Haley mumbled a couple of minutes later. She seemed to have gained back some control. "I didn't mean to freak out on you."

"Haley, this has all been a lot to handle. It was going to catch up to you eventually," Nathan said as he wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

"I just don't know what to do, Nathan. I'm so sick of us hiding and sneaking around. But at the same time, I'm scared of what's going to happen when this all comes out. It's going to be a disaster."

"I know, but you are not facing this alone. So stop putting it all on yourself, ok? I'm just as at fault here as you are."

"I can't help it. I just…I keep feeling like I dragged you into all of this."

"Hales, that's total crap," he stated while bringing his other hand to her cheek. "It was my choice to kiss you in May. It was my choice to date you and be with you. I wanted this. Even if you hadn't gone along with that whole Chase thing, there is not a doubt in my mind that we would have still ended up together. In fact, I probably would've cracked and made a move on you sooner if I knew you were available." Haley gave him a small smile while shaking her head. "Anyway, the point is that nothing would've kept me away from you. We'd still be where we are now."

Haley leaned on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "That's all really sweet, Nathan, but you have to be feeling something. I don't understand how you're always so calm."

"Honestly, I'm just as worried and scared as you are. I'm just really good at hiding it. But despite that, I know that in the end this will be worth it. You're worth it, Hales."

Haley felt her heart melt at his words as a single tear ran down her cheek. She had to admit that her boyfriend had a talent for saying the right things. "Thank you. You're worth it, too." Nathan then leaned in to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer. She always felt safer in his embrace, and she needed that comfort right now. Nathan nipped tenderly at her bottom lip before moving down to leave open-mouth kisses on her neck. Meanwhile, he slowly started to walk Haley backwards until she was up against the wall of the building. She moved her head to the side afterward to give him better access. It wasn't long before Nathan found her weak spot and started to suck on it. Haley instinctively arched into him causing him to groan in response.

Nathan's hands traveled down the length of Haley's body. His fingers then slipped under her shirt to feel the smooth skin of her stomach. Haley moaned at his touch. A moment later, his mouth was back on hers before his hands traveled to her thighs. He then lifted her up, so that she could wrap her legs around him. Nathan wanted to be as close to her as possible. Haley gasped into his mouth surprised and clutched him tighter. They pair continued to make out heatedly for a few more minutes until Nathan's phone rang interrupting them. He reluctantly tore his lips away from her and reached into his pocket to retrieve it.

"It's Taylor. She probably wants to know if I found you," Nathan stated.

"Can you just text her back and say that I'm heading back to my dorm?"

"Why? Do you want to leave?"

"I don't really feel like going back in there. I've pretended enough for one day. But if you want to stay then—"

"No, I'll drive you back. I've had enough tonight, too."

"I guess I tired you out with all of my crying," Haley commented a little embarrassed.

Nathan shook his head. "No, I'd just rather spend time with my incredibly sexy girlfriend."

"Yeah, because streaked mascara and red, puffy eyes is such a turn on," she quipped as he put her down.

Nathan smirked. "I told you before that you're a beautiful crier."

"And like before, I think you're full of crap." Nathan laughed before texting Taylor to let her know that they were leaving. He told her to tell everyone that Haley was worn out and wanted to go home—which was true. She was definitely not up to facing everyone again. Although, Nathan was sure they'd probably think it had something to do with her being upset over the "breakup" with Chase.

"Are you ready?" Haley asked a moment later.

"Yeah," he said. Haley then turned around to leave before Nathan halted her.

"What?"

"Hales, we can stop this whenever you want. If you want to tell everyone now or wait a little longer, it's up to you. But whatever you decide, I'm right behind you. Alright?"

Haley nodded and pulled Nathan's head down to meet her in a long, deep kiss. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"You're welcome, Baby James. Now let's get out of here."

* * *

Nathan didn't get back to his own dorm room until one o'clock that morning. He'd spent time with Haley in her room. They talked for a little bit before watching a movie. They missed quite a few scenes, though, since they'd been too busy making out at times to pay attention. Overall, it was a good night. It was what they both needed after such a long and crazy day. Nathan pulled out the key to his room as he approached it. He then quietly unlocked the door just in case Lucas was already back from Tric and asleep. As soon as he opened the door, however, he learned that that wasn't the case. Lucas was wide awake and sitting on his bed.

"Hey," Nathan greeted. "Did you just get back from Tric? I thought you would've crashed by now."

"I got back an hour ago."

Nathan frowned as he shut the door behind him. "So what are you doing still up?"

"I've got too much on my mind to sleep at the moment."

"Are you thinking about today with Quentin? Because that was such a mess—"

"No, it's not that," Lucas replied. "Where were you tonight?"

"What?" Nathan asked confused.

"Where were you? Taylor said you took Haley home, and then you disappeared for a few hours."

"Luke, I didn't disappear. I hung out with Haley. She's going through some things and didn't want to be alone."

"She's really worked up about Chase, huh?" Lucas questioned in curt tone. Nathan stared at his brother for a minute curiously. Something weird was going on.

"Something like that," he answered while taking off his jacket and getting ready for bed.

"Well, it's great that she has a friend like you to comfort her. Now tell me, did she feel better about this whole Chase thing before or after you made out with her?"

Nathan froze for a second before turning around to face his brother. "What? I didn't—"

"You can cut the crap, Nathan. I saw you on the stairs. In fact, I had the perfect view of you guys from the parking lot."

"What were you doing in the parking lot?" Nathan's stomach was in knots. He didn't want Lucas to find out like that. And just from the hard look on his face, Nathan could tell that his brother was pissed.

"Brooke forgot something in the car, so I went to get it for her. But lucky me, I got the shock of a lifetime," he retorted sarcastically.

"Lucas, I understand what that must have looked like, but you don't know the whole story."

"Frankly, Nathan, I don't give a shit about the whole story," Lucas snapped. "Haley's the girl you've been sneaking around with, isn't she?"

"Yes, but—"

"Unbelievable!" he exclaimed standing up. "What the hell is wrong with you, Nathan?! How could you cross the line like that?! It's Haley. You know, Baby James. Matt and Taylor's little sister. The one we've been protecting for years to make sure that no one takes advantage of her."

"I didn't take advantage of her," Nathan objected.

"Really? Because that is not what it looked like from where I was standing."

"Lucas, will you just shut the hell up?! You don't have one fucking clue what you're talking about," Nathan exclaimed.

"Well, one thing I do know for sure is that you've been lying to me, Matt, and everyone else—which is a pretty shitty thing to do considering we're your best friends! And what really gets me is the fact that you'd be willing to jeopardize years of friendship for a girl!" he retorted loudly.

Nathan's fists clenched at his sides in response. He was desperately trying to keep his temper in check at the moment. "You and I both know that Haley isn't just some girl."

"Well, whatever she is to you, it has to end right now. Do you hear me? If Matt ever finds out, he'll kill you."

"Matt can do whatever the hell he wants, but I'm not turning my back on Haley," Nathan argued matching his tone.

"Turning your back on Haley?! What about turning your back on Matt?! That's what you did when you hooked up with his sister!"

"I told you that it's not like that!"

"I don't care! But damn it, Nathan, you have to end it!"

"NO!

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm in love her, ok?!" Nathan shouted.

Lucas' eyes widened as he stared at him in shock. "W-what?"

"I'm in love with Haley, Luke…and I can't let her go."


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews. This next chapter isn't very dramatic. It's sort of a sweet one before the really big stuff comes. I hope you all enjoy it, and please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Nathan watched his brother carefully as the stunned look remained on his face. He didn't mean to blurt it out like that, but Lucas had pushed him so much that he couldn't help it. Nathan meant what he said. He was in love with Haley. She wasn't just some girl. She was "The" girl. It just took him awhile to finally realize it—too long, in fact. But now that he knew for sure, he didn't know how he could've completely overlooked it before. He was starting to think that maybe Brooke was right all of those times she said that men were clueless.

"Luke?" Nathan prodded when his brother still didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if he preferred the silence to the yelling. Both made him nervous.

"Well, this complicates things," Lucas muttered after another minute. "I thought that…never mind. First tell me how this even happened?"

"If I do, do you promise to listen to the whole story this time before taking my head off?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Lucas sat down on his bed afterward. Nathan followed suit.

He took a deep breath before beginning. "This thing between Haley and me originally started in May."

Lucas frowned. "May? This has been going on for that long?"

"Sort of, but not exactly. It was during Haley's graduation party. Haley and I went on the roof to hang out and get some air. We talked, played miniature golf—which she kicked my ass in—and she showed me some of the predictions that you guys made. It was fun, and I found myself really attracted to her that night. That dress she had on didn't help. Anyway, one thing led to another, and I ended up kissing her."

"You never were good with self-control," Lucas commented wryly.

Nathan ignored his brother's remark and continued. "But soon after, I remembered that I had a date with Peyton. Plus, I was kind of freaked out since I'd never really thought of Haley like that romantically. Like you said before, she was Baby James. I knew Matt would kill me and I felt guilty, so I planned on telling her afterward that it was a mistake. It couldn't go any further. I went to her house a few days later to talk to her, but she'd already left with Brooke for L.A. That's actually the reason why she left early. Haley knew that that's what I was going to say to her."

"Wait, did Brooke know what happened?" Lucas questioned.

"It's Brooke, Luke. She knows everything." Lucas looked at him for a second before nodding in agreement. "Anyway, I was actually disappointed when Haley left without saying goodbye. I was with Peyton, though, so I tried to get over it. And before you flip out on me about Peyton, you should know that I did really like her. I wouldn't have continued going out with her if I didn't."

"That's good to know," Lucas stated. "But…"

"But I couldn't forget about Haley. I thought about her a lot. I missed her."

"So then what happened?"

"When she finally came back, we talked. It was actually that day that we gave her and Brooke those tours around campus. We decided then that we would remain friends. She knew that I was with Peyton, and she told me that she was with Chase. We didn't start hanging out and getting close until Haley started to tutor me. We spent a lot of time together after that.

"Meanwhile, things with Peyton and me started to go downhill. You know all about the fights we had. Things between Chase and Haley, on the other hand, seemed to be going well. He'd send her notes or call her whenever we were together. It drove me crazy. I actually found myself jealous of some guy that I'd never even met."

"Is that why you were so tweaked during Thanksgiving? Because of him?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, but there was more to it than that."

"Meaning?" he prodded.

"Right after Peyton and I broke up, Matt found out about Chase. You remember Halloween, right?"

Lucas nodded. "Matt freaking out and dragging Haley out of the club. How could I forget that?"

"Yeah, well, Haley was all worked up about it. I took her to the River Court the night after instead of tutoring. I wanted her to relax. It didn't really work. She was so upset that she started crying and said that she was confused about everything. I comforted her, and we ended up kissing again."

"Wait, the girl said that she was confused and your response was to kiss her?" Lucas retorted. "Nice one, Nate."

"It was unexpected, ok? It was just like the first time. One minute I'm looking at her, and the next I can't take it anymore and am kissing her."

"Dude, she was still dating Chase," he pointed out. "Please tell me that she hit you for being an ass."

"Actually, we made out."

"What?"

"We made out, and then I remembered about Chase and apologized."

Lucas looked at him confused. "But Haley kissed back, right? She cheated on him."

"She didn't." Lucas was about to open his mouth when Nathan added, "She didn't cheat on him, because they weren't dating to begin with."

"Ok, now I'm really lost."

"It turns out that Haley's liked me ever since high school. During the summer, she tried to move on and dated Chase for a little while. It didn't work out. They broke up and decided they were better as friends. Before Haley came home—since she was so nervous about facing me again—Chase and Brooke convinced her to say that they were still dating. Haley saw it as a way for us to move forward. She thought that if I thought that she was unavailable, nothing would happen again. Brooke and Chase, on the other hand, saw it as a way to make me jealous and realize what I was missing out on."

Lucas smirked and shook his head. "That sounds like Brooke."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed. "And it worked pretty damn well, too."

"So, Chase as has been pretending all of this time?"

"Pretty much. He was trying to help Haley out. I was pissed when I found out, because she lied to me. But I was happy afterward that she told me the truth. Haley didn't have to do that, but she wanted to come clean about it all."

"That sounds like Haley, too."

"I know. We got together officially after that, and we've been going out for a little over a month now."

"There's something I still don't understand, though. Why didn't she just come clean with the rest of us or end it then? Why continue to lie to everyone?"

"It was because of Matt. He was just starting to trust Haley more and give Chase a chance. If she told him that she ended it with Chase, he probably would've thrown it back in her face. And if he found out about us…well, you know how that would've turned out. Plus, Peyton was dealing with our breakup still. The timing was off, and the whole thing kind of snowballed from there. Then Chase's family wasn't going to be around for Thanksgiving, so he came here instead. They had to keep the charade going after that, so they pretended to be together."

"And you were jealous, and that's why you were in such a bad mood that day? Am I right?"

"Yeah," Nathan admitted.

Lucas shook his head. "Damn, this is an even bigger mess than I thought."

"No shit. And to make things even more complicated, Taylor and Chase are probably dating now."

"Are you serious?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

"They hit it off pretty well while he was here. Haley said they've been keeping in contact."

"So I'm assuming that Taylor knows what's going, too."

Nathan nodded. "She's the one who's been covering for Haley and me most of the time."

"Hold on a minute. My brain hurts," Lucas declared.

"Look, I know that it's a lot to take in. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what was going on. I just wasn't sure how you were going to react."

"Well, you telling me certainly would've been better than me catching the two of you practically eating each other's faces outside of the club. At first I thought that it was some sick hallucination. Then I thought that maybe Haley turned to you, because she was upset about Chase. I figured with her being vulnerable from the breakup that you'd have some sense to put an end to that. I didn't know that whatever was going on between the two of you was serious."

"Again, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out like that. But you have to know that I would never take advantage of Haley like that. And I would never risk losing you or the others for some stupid fling. If I didn't love her so much, I would have ended it," Nathan explained as he looked his brother in the eye. They were both silent for a couple of minutes before Nathan spoke up again. "Are you still pissed at me?"

Lucas sighed and ran a hand over his face. "No. I'm sorry for overreacting. I was shocked as hell, but I get it now. You can't help who you love. But were you ever going to tell me or the others?"

"Haley and I have been talking about it. We hate all of this lying and sneaking around, and we want our relationship to be out in the open. We're just trying to decide when the right time is to do it."

"I hate to tell you this, but there isn't going to be a right time," Lucas said. "Whether you tell Matt now or later, he's going to be beyond pissed. And when he finds out that almost everyone was in on it, it's not going to be pretty."

"We know. That's why Haley was upset earlier tonight. She feels horrible about all of this and so do I. It's a really fucked up situation."

"Look, you're my brother and Haley's one of my best friends, so I have your backs," Lucas declared. "And I won't say anything, since it's not my place. But if you want my advice, I wouldn't wait much longer to tell him. Matt deserves to know the truth. Plus, I'm sure both you and Haley will feel better when it's finally out."

"Thanks, Luke. I'll think about it," Nathan replied as they bumped fists. He was relieved that Lucas knew and would be there for him. Out of everyone, Lucas' opinion had always mattered the most to him. He was his big brother, after all. It was also one less person they had to tell now.

"And no more lies between us, ok?"

"I promise."

"Good," Lucas stated.

"But do you think that you could do me a small favor?"

"Now what?" Lucas quipped.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Don't mention to Haley that I love her. I haven't told her yet." He had something planned for her, and he didn't want Lucas to slip up and ruin it.

Lucas smiled. "Sure. I can't believe my little brother is in love. It's so weird." He then added, "And I can't believe that Haley has actually liked you since high school. How did we miss that one?"

Nathan shrugged and shook his head. "I have no freaking clue."

* * *

"Babe, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

"But I want to know."

"Too bad."

"Nathan!" Haley whined.

"Haley!" he mocked.

"Come on. Just a little hint?" Haley pled as Nathan dragged her across campus to some unknown location. This wasn't exactly how she pictured spending her Saturday night.

"Nope."

"You're mean," she pouted.

"You'll be taking that back in a few minutes," he replied confidently.

"This better be good. It's both freezing and dark out here." Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley and brought her into his side. A couple of minutes later, they reached their destination.

"The football field? What are we going to do…" she trailed off when she took in the sight before her. In the center of the field was a blue blanket surrounded by numerous candles. Off to the side was another rolled up blanket and a picnic basket. "Nathan, what is all this?"

"I know that you've been really stressed out lately, so I wanted to do something nice for you. I figured dinner and a little stargazing might do the trick."

"Are you serious?" Haley questioned as she looked at the set-up in awe.

"Yeah. But if you're really not up for it then—" He was interrupted by Haley's lips on his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Nathan responded instantly.

"This is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied and led her over to the blanket. The pair sat down before Nathan started to open the picnic basket.

"So, what's for dinner?" Haley asked excitedly. She couldn't believe that Nathan had put this together for her. She was so touched by the gesture. He'd spent time with her last night after Tric, but this was different. He had to have put a lot of thought into it.

"Your favorite," he said while pulling the container out of the basket. "Courtesy of Karen's Café."

Haley's smile widened. "You got me mac and cheese."

"And French fries. I also stole some of my mom's famous chocolate cake for dessert."

"What about to drink?"

"Soda and/or hot chocolate."

"It's official. You are the best boyfriend ever!" she beamed. She adored hot chocolate. It was another one of her favorites besides mac and cheese.

Nathan smirked. "I know." Haley laughed in response. He then set up the plates, forks, and napkins while Haley distributed the food. It wasn't long before they were both digging in.

"God, I love this stuff," Haley sighed after eating a mouthful of mac and cheese.

"I'll admit that it's starting to grow on me."

Haley smiled. "I totally converted you."

"Whatever," Nathan laughed as he rolled his eyes. The pair continued to talk and joke around as they finished their dinner. They then had dessert and some hot chocolate to warm up before lying down to look up at the sky. Nathan grabbed the other blanket and placed it over them afterward. "Are you sure you're warm enough?"

Haley snuggled up to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I am now." Nathan smiled as he wrapped his arms securely around her. "So, which one is the Big Dipper?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping that you'd know more about this than me."

"Yeah, I've got nothing," Haley laughed. "We really suck at this."

"Big time," Nathan agreed.

"Well, that cluster of stars over there kind of looks like the Blob," Haley said as she pointed to it. If they couldn't find the constellations, then they'd just have to make up their own.

"Haley, a cluster is a blob," he teased.

"Oh, you think that you can do better?" she challenged.

"I know I can. See those stars over there. They look just like a basketball."

"No, they don't."

"Yeah, they do. They make a perfect circle. Then those in the middle are the lines on it."

"It's not a basketball. It looks more like a donut."

"No way. It's a basketball, and that's final."

"And who put you in charge?"

"I decided."

Haley scoffed. "Oh, that makes perfect sense."

"Ooh, and there's Michael Jordan over there."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"Hey, it could happen."

"Actually, I think you're so-called Michael Jordon looks more like a unicorn," Haley teased.

"Quiet, Baby James, you're ruining the moment."

"What moment? You can't have a moment with stars. They're just balls of fire millions of light years away."

Nathan returned his attention to the sky. "I'm sorry, guys, she didn't mean that."

"Nathan!"

"What?"

"Stop talking to them."

"Haley, would you try to be nicer. They're sensitive. It can't be easy living millions of light years away without any friends or company. It can get very lonely," he stated while trying to suppress a smile. He could see her face turning red. He loved riling her up.

"You're about to get very lonely if you don't stop talking to the stupid fireballs and have a moment with me."

Nathan smirked. "Jealous?"

"Forget it," Haley huffed as she moved away from him. A second later, she felt him sidle up to her again, but she turned on her side in the opposite direction.

"Aw, come on, Hales. I was only joking."

"You better not talk to me. Your stupid Michael Jordon star might feel neglected," she retorted stubbornly. "I wouldn't want to break up the moment." It was a good thing that she wasn't facing him or he would've seen her bite her lip to keep from laughing. If he was going to torture her, there was no reason why she couldn't mess with him a little bit. Haley knew that he was just trying to goad her before.

"I don't care about the Michael Jordon star. I care about you."

"Try to be nicer, Nathan. He's sensitive," she said mimicking his previous words.

"He's not the only one," Nathan muttered. Before Haley could even ask what he meant by that, she felt Nathan's arm hook around her waist. He brought her back up against his hard chest. A second later, his other hand moved her hair aside so that his lips could connect with the skin on the back of her neck. Haley shivered instantly at the contact as goose bumps formed all over her body. She bit her lip harder and almost moaned out loud when his tongue came into play. He then started to move on to the side of her neck. Her whole body shuddered again when the cold night air hit the wet trail he left behind.

Nathan continued his ministrations on her neck. He could tell that he was getting to Haley when her breathing became heavy. He then managed to flip her over so that she was facing him. Afterward, he started to leave soft kisses on her face—touching everywhere but her lips.

"Am I forgiven yet?" he questioned while sucking on her pulse point.

"No," she mumbled. Her eyes were now squeezed shut as she tried to stay in control.

"How about now?" he prodded as he kissed her jaw line.

"No." She then moved her head to find his lips. He dodged her, however, by bringing is mouth to her forehead. Her small hands fisted his jacket in frustration. Her lips were practically aching from the lack of attention. Haley then hooked her leg around his waist and brought her body completely against his.

Nathan groaned at the contact as his pants suddenly got tighter. He wasn't the only one not playing fair at the moment. His hand slid from her thigh up to her face eliciting a gasp from her. He kissed her button nose before forcing her to look at him. "Now?"

Haley shook her head. "No."

"Then I guess there's no pleasing you," he muttered huskily. Haley let out a shaky breath that he could feel on his own lips. Suddenly, Nathan couldn't take it anymore. He needed to kiss her. He crashed his mouth onto hers causing Haley to whimper loudly in relief. It wasn't long before his tongue started to battle with hers.

"Nathan," Haley breathed out in ecstasy. He was completely taking over her senses. His kisses were making her head feel light and airy while her body was on fire.

"Hales," Nathan groaned when her hips started to grind into his. He could feel what was left of his self-control about to snap. He was seriously two seconds away from taking her right there on the field. And since he knew that she wanted to wait till marriage to have sex, he figured that that wouldn't be the best thing to happen. "We-we need to stop," he said while breaking the kiss.

"Why?" Her mouth moved to his neck. He felt her tongue on his Adam's apple followed by a soft caress of her lips. Nathan's eyes instinctively closed as the pleasure she was giving him rippled throughout his body—especially down south.

"Because if we don't then I'm going to lose it. And then you're going to lose it—which I know you don't want so…"

"Lose what?" she asked finally pulling away to look at him.

"Your vir—innocence," he corrected while giving her a pointed look. He didn't want to be too blunt. She usually got embarrassed about these kinds of things.

"Oh," Haley commented. She could feel the deep blush forming on her face. Afterward, she moved away from him and sat up. "Sorry."

"Haley, it's—"

"God, you must think that I'm such a tease. I'm always doing this to you," she said while placing her head in her hands. She could remember the last few times that they'd made out and had to stop before things got too far. Haley knew that she wasn't ready and wanted to wait, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty about leading him on. Most of the time, she didn't even realize how worked up she got him.

Nathan sat up and turned her face to look at him. "Stop it. Ok? That's not it."

"Well, what do you think then?" He had a past when it came to women. Most of them did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Haley would be lying if she didn't admit that she sometimes wondered how he was so patient with her.

"I think that you're my girlfriend, and I like spending time with you," he stated. "Look, I just don't want to push you—even though sometimes I can't help it." Nathan then took a deep breath before continuing, "Just like I can't help the fact that I fell in love with you. Because I did."

Haley's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I love you, Haley. And it scares me a little bit, because I've never felt this way about anyone. But if that means I have to wait for you, then I will. You're worth it in more ways than one."

Haley felt her eyes start to water. "Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?" She had to be dreaming. There wasn't a doubt in Haley's mind that she was in love with Nathan all of these years. It's why she could never really let him go. Why no other guy ever came close to replacing him in her heart. However, she never really thought that they'd make it to this point. It always felt like something just out of her reach. But now it wasn't. He felt the same way. He loved her.

Haley closed the small gap between them and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you, too. It's always been you, Nathan." Nathan smiled and pulled her in for another passionate kiss. Unlike the ones they shared a few minutes prior, this one seemed deeper. It had more meaning. Instead of his body aching, it was his heart that felt everything. He simply couldn't get enough of her.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, Baby James," he said while caressing her cheek. She was by far the most amazing woman he'd ever been with, and he'd never take that for granted again. They'd wasted enough time as it was.

"That's ok. As long as you got here, right?"

Nathan smiled and gave her another tender kiss. "Right."


	26. Chapter 26

**What's up, guys. Thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter. I'm glad that you liked the old-school Naley dialogue. I've been watching S1 lately and wanted to return to Naley's roots. And bringing up S1, did anyone ever notice that the beach whore who came onto Dan was named Carrie, too? I thought it was a funny coincidence. **

**Now, I have something really important to tell you guys. I've gotten a lot of requests to do a sequel for More Than Anyone. I've been thinking about it lately and kind of leaning towards doing one. I started a poll to see how many more people actually want it. So if you do or don't, please vote. If I do decide to write it, unfortunately, it will be a while before it comes out. I never really planned on doing sequels for any of my original stories, but I get requests and ideas start popping into my head that I can't get rid of. Then I'm hooked. So here's the line up, because I have to write the sequels that I promised first. **

**Right now, I'm working on Secrets of Life. I'm dying to post it, but I think I want to finish it before I do. Then the follow-ups to Funny Little Feeling will come next. They're already outlined. Once those are done, I'll write the sequel for MTA. I've actually already thought of a title. It's I'm You. It's based on the song by Leona Lewis. If you've never heard it, I highly recommend it. It's one of my absolute favorites. Also, once NTL is done, I'd like to work on another side story called Half-Life. So I've got a lot of fics lined up for you guys. But input would be great.**

**Anyway, getting back to this story, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. It's the one you've all been waiting for, and I hope that you're not disappointed. I actually found it quite exciting and easy to write...surprisingly. So please read and review. Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter 26**

"Where is everyone?" Haley questioned as she checked her watch. "They should've been here five minutes ago."

"I'm sure they're on their way."

"Maybe I should call Brooke and Taylor again. You can call Lucas."

"Hales, relax. They're going to be here any minute," Nathan soothed as he gave her hand a little squeeze. It was Monday night, and the pair was sitting on Haley's bed in her dorm room. They'd called their friends a little over an hour ago to meet them there.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous," she sighed. "It's just… what if they don't agree? Or maybe they'll think it's a bad idea."

"It'll be fine," he assured her. He then turned her head towards him and kissed her on the lips. "I love you, but you worry too damn much." Haley smiled despite herself. She couldn't help it. Whenever he uttered those three little words, she was done for. In fact, she hadn't stopped smiling since Saturday night—something that both Brooke and Taylor had busted her up about. That is, after they begged her for the gory details. Nevertheless, Haley couldn't remember a happier or more romantic time in her life.

"How much do you love me?" she teased.

Nathan smirked. "You already know the answer to that."

"I'd still rather hear you say it."

"Actually, I'd rather show you," he mumbled huskily before claiming her lips in his. Haley sighed contently against his mouth while wrapping her arms around his neck. Like usual, she completely got lost in his kiss.

"Oh God, my eyes!" a male voice exclaimed.

"Ooh, Naley's getting frisky!"

"Nice tongue action, baby sis!" The pair abruptly broke apart to see their friends entering the room. Instantly, Haley could feel the deep blush forming on her face.

"We were just…uh…" Haley trailed off.

"About to have hot, wild monkey sex?" Taylor suggested.

"Please don't ever say that again," Lucas stated as he took a seat on Brooke's bed.

"Taylor!" Haley berated. Nathan just smirked in response.

"Oh, leave her alone," Brooke spoke up. She then turned to Haley curiously. "You weren't, were you?"

"NO!"

"But I wouldn't mind it," Nathan joked.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded before swatting him in the stomach.

"Watch it, Nate. Just because I may be ok with this relationship does not mean that I won't kick your ass for talking about my best friend like that," Lucas warned.

"I'd like to see you try, Pucas."

"Bring it on, Royal," he challenged. Nathan narrowed his eyes. He hated it when his brother used his middle name to taunt him.

"Careful, Eugene," Nathan retorted. He smirked when he saw Lucas visibly cringe.

"Guys, can we all please focus here?" Haley interrupted.

Brooke sighed as she took a seat next to Lucas. "Ok. So what is this big meeting about?"

"You're not knocked up, are you?" Taylor asked.

"Taylor, stop. I mean it," Haley said while giving her a stern look.

"Alright, I'm sorry. So what's up?" Nathan took Haley's hand in his, once again. They shared a look before glancing at their friends.

"To get straight to the point, Haley and I have decided that it's time to tell Matt the truth," Nathan declared. "We don't want to hide our relationship anymore." He and Haley had talked about it for almost two hours the other day. They couldn't stand lying or the secrecy anymore. They loved one another, and it was time that everyone knew it. Whether the outcome was good or bad, they were ready to face it together.

"Wow," Brooke commented. "Are you guys sure? Do you really think that it's the right time?"

Haley nodded. "Yes. We owe it to Matt and ourselves to tell him the truth. And the longer we wait, the worse he's going to take it. It's better if we're open about it now. Plus, we don't want him to find out like Lucas did. That wouldn't be fair."

"He'd probably kill you," Lucas stated.

"He's going to kill him anyway," Taylor added.

"Thanks, guys," Nathan muttered. "That helps."

Lucas shrugged. "It's the truth, man."

"Well, whatever happens, we have your backs," Brooke promised. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Haley replied. "And I just want to thank you guys for all you've done for us. I know it's not easy being put in the middle. I initially didn't want you guys to have to get involved in this. But, nevertheless, we both really do appreciate it."

"Yeah, thank you," Nathan said.

"Anything for young love," Taylor teased. Brooke and Lucas smiled while nodding in agreement.

"So, how are you going to do this?" Lucas questioned. "Are we all going to be there or—"

"No, Haley and I are going to tell him alone," Nathan answered. They thought about telling him with the group there but decided that that might not be the best idea. They didn't want Matt to feel like he was being ganged up on. The less people who were there, the better.

"When are you going to do it?" Taylor inquired.

"Matt and I are supposed to hang out tomorrow night in my room," Nathan explained. "Haley's going to come by later on, and then we'll tell him."

"Are you scared?" Brooke asked.

"That would be an understatement," Haley replied. She'd been dreading this even before she got together with Nathan. Haley had always feared what would happen if Matt discovered her true feelings towards his best friend. Would he be angry? Disappointed? Maybe accept them? The possible outcome was always unknown—hanging precariously above her head. And now that she was with Nathan for real, the whole concept of telling him terrified her even more.

"You're positive that you don't want us there with you?" Taylor questioned.

Haley gave her sister a small, thankful smile at the offer. "You can't."

"Well, let us know how it goes," Brooke said.

"And it was nice knowing you," Lucas quipped—which earned him a sharp whack from Brooke. "Ow, Cheery! That really hurt!"

"I think that's my cue to go," Taylor said standing up. She then walked over to Haley and gave her a hug. "Whatever happens, it will all work out in the end. I'm sure of it."

"He's going to be pissed at you, too, Tay," Haley whispered.

"Let him. He's not the only one who has to protect his baby sister."

Haley smiled. "Thank you. And tell Chase 'hi' for me the next time you talk to him."

"I'll try to remember. Once the phone sex starts we tend to get a little preoccupied—"

"Do not even finish that sentence," Haley laughed while pulling away.

"Just kidding…sort of," Taylor teased before heading to the door. "Bye, guys."

"We have to go, too," Brooke spoke up. "Broody and I have a chick flick to see."

"But if you guys need me here for moral support, I'd be happy to stay," Lucas declared. "Ow! Would you stop hitting me?"

Brooke gave him a cheeky grin. "I will as soon as you stop being a smartass." She then turned back to Haley and Nathan. "We'll see you guys later." A second later, a reluctant Lucas was dragged out the door by a very determined Brooke.

"My brother is so whipped," Nathan commented with a smirk.

"And how do you know that you aren't?" Haley teased.

"Because I just do."

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"So yesterday you painted my toenails for me just because you felt like it?" Haley challenged with a mischievous grin. When she initially asked Nathan, Haley didn't think he'd go for it. He'd presently surprised her, however, by doing it without complaint. And to her even greater surprise, Nathan was actually pretty good at it. He had the steadiest hand she'd ever seen.

"I was doing you a favor," he defended.

"Not many men would do a favor like that. Face it, Scott. You're whipped," she declared jokingly.

"Fine. I'll never do it again."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't," he retorted. Nathan knew he would if she asked, but he had to deny it for argument's sake.

"You will, because you love me," Haley said with a confident smile.

Nathan brought his hand up to her cheek and caressed it. "I do love you." He then leaned down to meet her lips in a sweet, sensual kiss. He could feel every nerve ending in his body fizzle from the contact. It was amazing how one kiss from her could have such a strong affect on him.

"I wish we could just fast forward through tomorrow," Haley muttered once they'd broken apart.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Me, too, baby. Me, too."

* * *

"Aw man, did you see that pass?!" Matt exclaimed. "That was amazing."

"Yeah, it was," Nathan agreed. He and Matt were in his room watching a game between the Lakers and Celtics on ESPN. It was really good, but Nathan just couldn't get into it like he wanted to. All he could think about was the conversation to come. How this might possibly be the last time that they hung out for awhile—or ever. Haley was going to be there in about ten minutes. And then, there was no turning back.

"What's up with you?" Matt asked—interrupting Nathan's muddled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're kind of quiet tonight," he pointed out.

"I've just got a lot on my mind," Nathan replied.

"Like what? Is it about the team?"

"No, it's not that."

"School?"

"No."

Matt stared at him curiously for a minute before realization dawned on him. "It's a woman, isn't it?"

Nathan looked down at his hands before answering, "Uh, yeah. It is."

"I was wondering when you were going to hook up with someone else. You and Peyton have been done for ages," Matt stated. "So who is this new girl?"

"She's…um…she's actually someone from my past," Nathan replied carefully. He didn't want to give too much away. He just wanted to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

"Who?"

"That's not important right now. I just want you to know that you're my best friend, Matt. We've been through a lot together over the years, and I've always appreciated how you've had my back. And you know that I'll always have yours."

"Of course, man," Matt responded with a curious look. "What's going on, though? You're kind of freaking me out."

"As for the girl I'm seeing now, I also want you to know that I care about her a lot. I wouldn't be with her if I didn't. I know that I've had a past with women, but it's different with her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm not going to take that for granted."

Matt stared at him perplexed. "Nate, who is this girl?" A second later, there was a soft knock on the door.

"I'll get that," Nathan announced. He could feel his hand slightly shaking as he turned the handle of the door. As soon as it opened, he and Haley locked eyes. He could tell that she was extremely nervous. Her bottom lip was tucked between her teeth and her face was a little pale. Nathan stepped aside to let her in.

"Haley? What are you doing here?" Matt asked.

"I need to talk to you," she answered while entering the room. Nathan quickly shut the door behind her.

"Well, can it wait a minute? Nate and I were kind of in the middle of something."

"I know. That's why I'm here," she declared. _Keep it together, Haley. You can do this_, she coached herself. She felt like she was going to be sick. This was by far the most difficult thing she ever had to do.

Matt frowned. "I don't understand."

"You know that girl that I was just telling you about?" Nathan spoke up.

"Yeah," Matt replied. Nathan and Haley exchanged looks. This was it. This was the moment they'd been dreading.

"It's Haley," Nathan finally revealed. He then took her hand in his. She gave it a supportive squeeze as they waited with baited breath for Matt's response. It never came. He was completely silent for a couple of minutes—just staring between the two of them with a vacant expression on his face. Haley was just about to ask Matt if he understood when he, all of a sudden, busted out laughing. She looked to Nathan afterward and saw that he was just as stunned by the reaction as she was.

"Matt?" Nathan questioned.

"That's a good one, guys. You really had me going there for a second," Matt laughed.

Haley frowned. "What?"

"Come on. The two of you together? That's the most hilarious and ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Good acting, though. I really believed you for a second." Nathan could feel his temper rise a bit at that. Nothing about his relationship with Haley was ridiculous. In fact, he was really insulted that Matt would assume that. But Nathan kept calm.

"It's not a joke," Nathan said firmly. "Haley and I are dating."

It was then that Matt's laugher started to die down. "Come on, guys. Give it up."

"It's true, Matt," Haley confirmed. "We're together."

"No," Matt stated as his expression started to lose its mirth.

"Yes," Nathan reinforced as he wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders and pulled her into him.

Matt's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. This is a joke. This has to be some kind of sick joke, because there is no way in hell that my best friend would actually go behind my back and start dating my little sister."

"Matt, before you make any snap judgments, can you please let us explain first?" Haley requested. She could already see where this was going. And the outcome did not look pretty.

"Haley, stay out of this. This is between me and my back-stabbing best friend," he gritted out.

"Matt…" Nathan began.

"You've got some fucking nerve. You know that?"

"Matt," Haley said.

"Stay out of it, Haley," he snapped. "How long has this been going on?"

"We—" she tried again before being cut off.

"I'm asking Nathan, Haley."

Nathan sighed and ran a hand roughly through his hair. As predicted, this was turning into a disaster. "Officially, we've been dating for over a month."

"A month?" Matt questioned incredulously. "How is that even possible? Haley was with…" Haley inwardly cringed as she watched her brother work it out in his head. "Oh my God, you were with her when she was with Chase. Are you the reason they broke up?"

"Sort of, but—"

"You deceitful son of a bitch," Matt growled. "How could you cross the line like that? How could you prey on my little sister when you knew she was with someone else? Just because Chase wasn't in the state didn't give you the right to move in on her."

"I didn't prey on anyone," Nathan defended.

"Like hell you did. She was missing Chase, and you saw an opportunity to swoop right in and 'comfort' her."

"Damn it, Matt, would you just listen to me for a second?! It wasn't like that!" Nathan exclaimed.

"As you mentioned before, you've got a history with women, Nathan. I know how you operate. We were best friends. I heard the stories. So don't you dare look me in the fucking eyes right now and try to deny it!" Matt yelled.

"I'm not denying anything! I told you that Haley was different, and she is!" Nathan shouted. He knew that Matt had a right to be upset, but he couldn't help the anger that was building within him, too. "There's a lot more to the story and if you would just listen—"

"I don't want to hear you try to justify taking advantage of my sister, because there is no way in hell that you could possibly—"

"I didn't take advantage of her!" Nathan exploded. "I'm in love with her!"

Matt shook his head vigorously before ordering, "Take it back."

"No."

Matt took a few steps forward. "Take it back."

"No."

A second later, he was in his face. "TAKE IT BACK, NATHAN!"

"NO!"

"That's enough!" Haley finally intervened as she stepped between them. The whole situation was quickly escalating to the point where she was afraid that there was going to be a major fist fight between the two.

"Step aside, Haley," Matt demanded without taking his eyes off of Nathan.

"No. This has gotten totally out of hand."

"This isn't your fight."

"It's not yours either. You're blaming Nathan for everything, and it's not fair. He didn't take advantage of me. It was my choice to be with him," she declared. "In fact, if you're going to be angry with anyone, then it should be me."

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

Haley sighed before turning around to face Nathan. "Can I have some time alone with my brother?"

"Haley, I don't think—" he began to protest.

"Please?" she implored with a pleading look.

Nathan hesitated for another moment before finally nodding. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Ok." He then looked back at Matt with a glare—which her brother had no problem returning.

"What a bastard," Matt muttered once he left.

"Don't say that about him," Haley scolded. "Whether you believe it or not right now, Nathan is still your best friend."

"Not anymore. We're done."

"Matt, sit down," Haley sighed. "I'm going to clear this all up right now."

"I'm not—"

Haley went to stand in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Sit down and listen to me," she said in a calm, yet authoritative tone. Her brother stared at her for a moment before finally taking a seat. "I'm in love with Nathan."

Matt shook his head. "Haley—"

"I have to get this all out, so please just don't say anything until I'm done," she stated firmly. "Ok?" When her brother nodded begrudgingly in agreement, she continued. "I'm in love with Nathan, Matt. And it's not something that just happened recently. I've had feelings for him for a long time—since my freshman year of high school to be more specific. Anyway, nobody knew except for Brooke. I didn't want anyone to know, because I was afraid of the outcome it would have on our group. Plus, I knew that Nathan didn't even see me like that. He saw me as you guys saw me. I was Baby James—your little sister.

"But by the end of my senior year, I was tired of being Baby James. I tried to suppress my feelings for Nathan, but it just wasn't working. They only got stronger. So I decided to do something about it. I decided to see if there was any chance that Nathan could see me as more than some childhood friend or your sister. That's when this all started." Haley then told her brother everything. She told him about the kiss in May, the summer, who Chase really was to her, tutoring Nathan, dating Nathan and lying about it, and the charade with Chase during Thanksgiving. Haley got it all out and not once held back. She was done keeping secrets. It was time for the truth.

When she finally finished, Haley watched her brother carefully. She felt like her stomach was in her throat. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for him to give her some type of response.

"So, basically, you lied to me?" he questioned softly. "You've been lying to me. All this time."

"Yes," Haley stated regretfully. "And I'm so sorry, Matt. I really am. I have felt so horrible about all of this. I just didn't know what to do. Everything got so out of hand."

Matt scoffed. "Not 'everything,' Haley. You did."

"What?"

"All of those times you told me to trust your judgment. All of those times you said that you were more mature than I gave you credit for. All of those times that I went against my gut feeling, because I was trying to respect your wishes. It was all bullshit."

"Matt—"

"And then to find out that my other sister and so-called friends were in on it, too…it's un-fucking-believable. And the clincher is that they're not even here. They don't even have the damn courage to fess up themselves."

"Matt, they're not here because Nathan and I wanted to tell you ourselves. We're all sorry and know that it was wrong to lie to you, but—"

"I don't want to hear it, Haley," he cut her off sharply. "Why should I believe you anyway? Everything out of your mouth has been a lie. I can't trust you."

Haley felt her eyes start to water but blinked the tears back. "Matt, please—"

"And I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I are done, too."

"W-what?"

"All of this time I thought that you were my little, innocent baby sister. I thought that if there was one person I could depend on to be honest with me, it would be you. But I was wrong."

"Matt…" Haley tried again.

He shook his head before looking her directly in the eyes. "I never thought you'd turn out to be such a snake." This time, Haley couldn't hold back the tears. They were falling freely down her face now as the stabbing pain ripped through her heart. She tried to open her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. Matt then stood up, walked to the door, shoved past Nathan, and left.

* * *

"Tutor Girl, maybe you should go back to the room. You don't have to be here today," Brooke suggested. It was the following afternoon, and the pair was in the gym waiting for cheer practice to start. Haley's entire body felt like it was dragging, but she didn't want to return to her dorm room. She couldn't. When she was alone, everything that happened between her and Matt the previous night would replay over in her head. It took Nathan almost an hour to calm her down after her brother left. He'd even called Brooke and Taylor to come over to help.

They'd promptly brought her back to her dorm where she'd cried for the rest of the night. Her sister and best friend, however, never left her side. Nathan and Lucas had stopped by the room again this morning to check on her, too. As horrible and guilty as she felt about all of this, it helped to know that she had the love and support of her friends.

"Tigger, I need the distraction," Haley replied. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked like absolute crap right now. Hence, why Brooke had been fussing over her so much. She also noticed Nathan and Lucas watching her from across the gym. Frankly, Haley could've cared less what she looked like. It was the least of her troubles.

"Does Haley look ok to you?" Nathan questioned Lucas. He was supposed to be watching the guys warming up, but his eyes kept drifting over to Haley. He was worried about her. Last night, it had taken everything inside of him not to hunt down Matt and beat the crap out of him. Haley had been crying so hard after he left that she could barely talk. When she finally told him what Matt said to her, Nathan was livid. Matt could be angry but calling Haley names and putting her down like that wasn't necessary.

"She looks like she did this morning," Lucas replied. "Hurt."

"Speaking of hurt, did you see Matt at all today?" Nathan questioned.

"I stopped by his room earlier to see him. He wouldn't talk to me. You and Haley aren't the only ones he's pissed at."

"I'm sorry, Luke," Nathan apologized. "This is all my fault."

"Nathan, don't start. I told you that I have your back, and I meant it. Matt's just trying to process all of this right now. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

Nathan shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it. You didn't see his face last night. I've never seen him that angry. He said that we were done."

"Just give him some space. He'll deal with it," Lucas advised.

"I hope you're right."

Haley and Brooke finished up the last of their stretches before Solaris called the squad together.

Initially, Haley had been worried that Solaris would be angry with her, too. She was Matt's girlfriend, after all. But it seemed as if he hadn't told her anything yet. She'd been acting completely normal towards them. "Ok, girls, get into formation."

"This should be fun," Brooke muttered sarcastically.

"Wait a minute, someone is missing. Has anyone seen Peyton today?" Solaris questioned. "Brooke? Haley?"

"We don't know," Brooke answered with a shrug.

"Ok then, let's…oh, wait. Here she is," Solaris announced as Peyton made her way into the gym. "Peyton, you're late." The curly blonde didn't respond. Haley frowned as she saw her walk with determination towards them. It almost looked like there was fire in her eyes.

"Is she ok?" Brooke whispered to Haley.

"I don't know," Haley replied. For some reason, she didn't have a good feeling about this. It wasn't long before her suspicions were confirmed, because a second later, Peyton marched right up to her. Before Haley even knew what was happening, the blonde had raised her hand and brought it down sharply on Haley's face. The whole gym immediately fell silent as the loud slap echoed off of the walls. A moment later, an acute, burning pain started to radiate from Haley's cheek. She clutched the side of her face and flinched.

"Peyton, what the hell?!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Miss Sawyer!" Whitey boomed from the other side of the gym.

Nathan was by Haley's side instantly examining the mark. He'd never hit a girl in his life, but he'd be lying if he didn't say he was tempted to pop Peyton one right now. She had no right to lay a hand on Haley. "Peyton, what the hell has gotten into you?"

Peyton, however, ignored them and focused on Haley. "The next time you want to steal my boyfriend, have the fucking guts to tell me to my face."

"W-what?" Haley stuttered as the shock started to wear off. "Peyton, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Peyton retorted. _Oh shit_, Haley thought. Peyton knew about her and Nathan. They were planning to tell her soon, too, but now it obviously wasn't necessary. Haley didn't know how she found out, but somehow she did.

"Peyton, it's not what you think," Haley said carefully.

"Oh, I'm positive that it's exactly what I think. So how long were fucking him behind my back? Huh, Haley? Just give me some kind of time frame."

"Peyton, I don't know what you've heard, but it wasn't like that," Haley explained. "We never slept together. In fact, nothing ever happened until after you two broke up."

Peyton scoffed. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Nathan spoke up. He was seething but trying to keep his temper under control. "Nothing happened, Peyton."

"Oh look, the cheating ex-boyfriend speaks," she spat sarcastically. "It figures that you'd stand up for your whore now."

"Don't call her that," Nathan ordered. "She didn't do anything wrong. If you want to be pissed at someone, be pissed at me."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm already pissed at you!" Peyton replied loudly.

"Look, how about the three of us go somewhere else and talk," Nathan suggested as he noticed everyone in the gym watching the scene. "Haley and I will explain everything."

"I don't need you to explain anything. Matt filled in all of the missing pieces. Apparently, he's the only person who's willing to be honest with me around here."

"What?" Haley asked shocked. _Matt told her all of this?_

"You are one amazing son of a bitch, Nathan. You were hung up on her all this time and yet you still went out with me. I really liked you. I trusted you, and you used me!" she shouted angrily

"Peyton—"

She then turned to Haley. "And you're the worst of all. You pretended to be my friend the whole time. You knew how much I cared for him. When Nathan and I were having trouble, you were the one I talked to and turned to for advice. But now that I think about it, it was probably you who caused it all. And you sat there, looked me in the eyes, and had the nerve to counsel me about my boyfriend when you were fucking in love with him! Is that why you encouraged me to go with Jake?! So you could get me out of the way?!"

"Of course not! Peyton, I was your friend! I am your friend! I wasn't planning on getting together with Nathan. I didn't have some kind of hidden agenda. When the two of you were happy, I was happy for you. I had decided to let him go and was trying to move on," Haley explained. "I would never do that to you."

"Well, seeing as though you're dating him now, it looks like you did!" she shouted. "So stop trying to act all innocent, because now I see you for what you really are. You're nothing more than a lying, two-faced bitch, Haley!"

"Peyton," Haley implored as the tears formed in her eyes.

"This friendship is over. And if I never see or talk to you again, then that'll be fine," she stated. She then looked over to Nathan. "And the same goes for you. We're done."

"Peyton," Haley cried as she walked away from them. She was about to run after her when Nathan halted her.

"Let her go for now."

"Nathan," Haley whispered in a strangled sob. He brought her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. Nathan held her tightly and tried to shield her from the entire gym of people that were staring and whispering. Nathan locked eyes with Jake and Skills for a moment, but they looked away. Tim, on the other hand, looked at them knowingly.

"Why don't you take her to the doctor's station in the locker room for some ice?" Whitey suggested quietly to him. Nathan didn't even notice him approach them, but he didn't need to be told twice. He quickly ushered Haley toward the locker room with Lucas and Brooke following close behind. When they were behind closed doors, Nathan scooped her in his arms and carried her the rest of the way. He then gently set her down on the examining table.

"I'll get the ice," Lucas declared.

"Tutor Girl, it's going to be ok," Brooke said as she soothingly rubbed her back. Meanwhile, Haley's head was still buried in Nathan's chest as she clung to him tightly. "Peyton was totally out of line."

"Was she?" Haley whimpered. A second later, Lucas handed her an ice pack to put on her red and slightly swollen cheek. "Because right now, I feel like the worst human being on the planet."

"You're not," Lucas said. "And even though Peyton was mad, she still shouldn't have hit you."

"Yeah, well, the next time I see her she's dead," Brooke seethed. "And your brother, too. He had no right to go and tell Peyton any of that. Just who the hell does he think he is?"

"Brooke, not now," Nathan whispered as he softly caressed Haley's hair.

"What are we going to do you guys? This is such a mess. I knew that this wasn't going to turn out well, but I never expected the situation to be this severe," Haley said as a few more tears escaped her.

"I don't think there's anything you can do," Lucas stated. They all remained silent as Lucas' words sunk in. The shit had finally hit the fan. They'd hit rock bottom. And it was only the beginning.


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys, thank you to all of you who reviewed and voted in the poll. I'm going to leave it open for a couple more days. Although, the majority does seem to want a sequel for MTA. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 27**

"Can I have the popcorn please?"

"In a minute."

"Tigger, you said that five minutes ago."

"But I'm not done with it."

"Brooke," Haley warned.

"Cheery, you have to share," Lucas stated.

"Yeah, Brooke, don't be a hog," Nathan added.

"Well, maybe I don't want to share," Brooke retorted stubbornly.

"I can handle this," Taylor whispered to Haley. "Fine, Brooke, you can have the rest of the popcorn. I'll just go pop some more. But it'll have to be the diet kind, guys. That was the last bowl of the extra buttery one."

"What?" Brooke said with her mouthful.

"And look at it this way, at least we won't be eating as many calories. I don't know about you guys, but I always gain weight after the holidays," Taylor added.

"No, that's ok. I'm done," Brooke said as she quickly passed the bowl to Haley.

"Nice try, Brooke. But it's too late. I can see your ass expanding as we speak," Taylor quipped causing Tim to snort. Brooke didn't reply. Instead, she settled for shooting her a death glare from across the room. The group of friends was currently at Haley's house watching a movie together. The holidays were finally over, and they'd been stressful to say the least.

Ever since Haley told the truth to Matt about her and Nathan dating, everything had seemed to go downhill from there. It wasn't long before her and Nathan's "affair" spread around campus. They'd become hot gossip and, at times, the butt of cruel jibes. Haley had tried to approach her brother a few times when he was calmer, but he wouldn't talk to her. He'd been giving her and the others the silent treatment for about a month now. Christmas dinner was not a pleasant experience this year. She told her mom and dad the truth about everything. They'd been disappointed that she lied but were glad that she finally came clean. Her parents had even tried stage some kind of intervention for her, Taylor, and Matt, but it hadn't worked. As soon as her brother figured out what was going on, he'd stormed out of the house.

On the bright side, her mom and dad were thrilled that she and Nathan had "finally gotten together." They'd suspected that she'd "had the hots for him" for years. The whole dating Chase charade, however, kind of threw them off for a little while. Nevertheless, Haley couldn't figure out if she was relieved or just embarrassed that her parents had known about her feelings for Nathan all that time. Her mom, especially, always had a sixth sense about those types of things.

Another person who hadn't been surprised by her and Nathan getting together was Tim. He thought that something might've been going on. He said that time at the movie theater clued him in. Nathan's annoyance at their date hadn't been as subtle as they had hoped. Regardless, Tim said he was happy for them.

As for Peyton, Haley kept her distance from her. She didn't want to chance getting slapped again. She did, however, write her a note explaining the truth of the situation. Whether Peyton even read it or not, she didn't know. They hadn't spoken to each other since that day in the gym. And apparently, Peyton wasn't speaking to Jake either. Haley assumed it had something to do with Peyton thinking that she'd used Jake to get her away from Nathan. Thinking that, Peyton wanted nothing to do with him. Haley felt bad that he had to suffer for her mistakes, because Jake really did seem to care for Peyton. Haley had told him the whole story and apologized. He'd accepted the apology, but they weren't as close as they used to be. He was still disappointed about how things turned out with Peyton. And since Skills was his best friend, he kept his distance, too.

Haley couldn't have been more relieved when winter break finally came. She desperately needed to get away from the madness. There was still a lot of tension in the house then and now with Matt not associating with her or Taylor, but she tried to make the best of it. Unfortunately, they only had one more week left of vacation until the second semester started. Haley had no idea what to expect when they went back to school. Needless to say, she wasn't really looking forward to it.

Haley snuggled further into Nathan on the couch as they all continued to watch the movie. Despite the drama that their relationship had caused, it felt so good to finally be out in the open. They could go wherever they wanted. They could kiss or hold hands in public without fearing that someone would see them and spill the beans to Matt. For the first time in a long time, Haley actually felt as sense of freedom. And however bad things got with certain people around them, the better things seemed to get between her and Nathan.

"Is this movie almost over yet?" Nathan whispered.

"Why?"

"Because I'm bored."

"Nathan, how can you be bored during She's the Man? It's the best movie ever."

"Hales, it's a chick flick," Nathan pointed out. "You know I hate them. Besides, it's all about soccer."

"And what's wrong with soccer?"

"It's not basketball."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Well, not everything needs to be about basketball."

"Yes, it does," he replied with a cheeky smile.

"Whatever. Just sit through the rest of it like a good boy. And try to be quiet, because you're distracting me while I drool over Channing Tatum."

"Who?"

"The guy who plays Duke."

Nathan gave her an incredulous look. "You're actually attracted to that guy?"

"Duh. Have you seen him?" Haley replied. She had to bite back a smile at the jealous look on Nathan's face. She almost busted out laughing when his eyes narrowed at the TV screen.

"He's ok if you like that big jaw kind of thing."

"He's also a really great dancer," Haley added.

"Now that's just low, Baby James." She knew that he couldn't dance to save his life.

"But don't worry, I think you're much hotter than him," she declared while kissing his pouting lips.

"You better," he mumbled huskily before capturing her mouth, once again, in his. A second later, they felt popcorn hitting their faces.

"Get a room," Brooke teased.

"Yeah, you two are making me nauseous," Taylor joked.

"Don't worry, we've got plenty of room," Nathan said with a smirk. He then crashed his lips back onto Haley's.

"Go, Nate Dogg," Tim cheered.

"Dude, I just ate," Lucas complained. The two broke apart a moment later, however, when they heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Who was that?" Haley questioned.

"Matt," Tim answered. "I think he saw you guys sucking face."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "I can't believe how much of a stubborn ass he's being. He still won't talk to me."

"He won't talk to any of us either," Lucas declared.

"I think we should all just go outside and slap some sense into the butthead," Brooke stated.

"Brooke," Haley scolded.

"What? You know it's true."

"He's still my brother."

"With the way he's been acting lately, that remains to be seen." Nathan saw Haley run a hand through her hair and lean her head back on the couch in frustration. He waited a couple of minutes before making up some excuse about going to the bathroom. He then snuck out the back door in the kitchen so he couldn't be seen and walked to the front. Nathan found Matt in the driveway working on his car.

They hadn't spoken since that day that he and Haley had told him the truth. Nathan hadn't wanted to talk to him after the crap he pulled with Haley and telling Peyton. Nathan was worried that things would get too heated between them like before. But now he had to do something. All of this nonsense had been going on long enough.

"We need to talk, man," Nathan stated. Matt didn't respond. He just kept his head under the hood of the car working. "How long are you going to keep this up? Haley and the rest of us have already apologized to you a hundred times. We were wrong to lie, and we admitted that. And while I understand you being angry, what I don't get is why you just won't talk to us and try to work it out—especially with Haley." Nathan paused and waited for some kind of response. None came.

"She's your sister, Matt. She loves you. It wasn't easy for Haley to tell you the truth, but she knew that she owed it to you. And she still feels horrible about everything. Do you even realize what your silence is doing to her?" Nathan questioned. When Matt still didn't say anything, Nathan let out an agitated sigh. "Can you at least look at me while I'm talking to you?" His head was still under the hood of the car. Frustrated, Nathan did the only thing he could think of to get Matt's attention. He walked around to the driver's side of the car, stuck his hand through the open window, and beeped the horn.

He noticed Matt jump and let out a string of curses in response. "What the hell, Nathan?!"

"Oh look, he speaks!" Nathan exclaimed sarcastically.

"What the hell do you want from me, Nathan? Huh?" Matt retorted.

"Obviously, you weren't listening before. I want you to accept our apologies and stop ignoring everyone," he stated.

"Yeah, well, that's not going to happen."

"Why not?" Nathan challenged. "We're still your friends. And yeah, we may have not handled the situation in the best way, but we tried to make it right."

"It'll never be right! Don't you get that?!" Matt exclaimed. "And if you guys were really my friends, you wouldn't have all lied to me in the first place."

"Matt, we were worried about how you'd react. And based on your behavior recently, we were right to feel that way. You flipped out when Haley told you she was dating Chase. How could we not be apprehensive to tell you about us after that?"

"You shouldn't have gone after her in the first place. You knew that she was off limits!"

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Matt, but your word is not law. I fell in love with her. I couldn't help it. Believe me when I say that I tried to stop it, but it didn't work out that way. And Haley's not a little girl anymore. She's a young woman. She can make her own decisions. She doesn't need you to fight her battles."

Matt scoffed. "I guess that's your job now, right?"

"Matt, seriously, cut the crap," Nathan ordered.

"I'll make a deal with you. I'll stop being a dick when you stop following yours," he proposed with a smug smile. "Sound fair?"

Nathan's jaw clenched as he took a deep breath to try to keep his temper from flaring. "Why don't you stop acting like a self-centered asshole and grow up? Sound fair?" he retorted.

"You all lie and sneak around behind my back, and I'm the self-centered and immature one? Good one, Nate."

Nathan shook his head. "I don't know why I even bothered. It's like talking to a brick wall."

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't make the same mistake twice." Nathan gritted his teeth. He wanted so badly to knock some sense into Matt right now.

"Nathan?" Haley asked as she approached him. "I was looking for you. What are you doing out…oh, hey, Matt."

"Whatever," Matt sighed as he closed the hood of his car and walked back inside the house.

Haley looked at Nathan curiously. "I tried to talk some sense into him. It didn't go so well."

"I'm sorry," Haley replied as she gently touched his cheek.

"Don't worry about it."

"How about we take a walk by the docks?" Haley proposed. She could see how tense Nathan was at the moment. He needed to relax. Going back into the house with Matt there didn't seem like the best idea.

"What about the others?"

"They'll understand. Come on." The Market Street Dock wasn't that far from her house. Haley took Nathan's hand in hers as they silently made their way there. Both were lost in their thoughts as they walked by the water. Haley shivered a bit in the crisp January air and pulled her coat tighter around her. Eventually, Nathan stopped at one of the tables and took a seat on top. He then pulled Haley up to sit between his legs. She laid her head against his chest and looked out at the water. The soft sound of the waves lulled her.

"Tell me a secret," Haley requested.

"What?"

"Tell me a secret," she repeated.

Nathan smiled. "That's risky."

"Please?" Haley questioned with puppy dog eyes. How could he resist that?

"Ok. You're sexy," he stated while laying a kiss on her neck.

Haley rolled her eyes playfully. "That's not a secret. It's a fact."

"Cocky much?" he smirked.

"I get it from you," she quipped. "Now come on. Tell me something real."

"Alright," Nathan sighed. He thought about it for a minute before finally answering, "Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and walk around town until I end up at the high school gym."

"Why?" Haley asked curiously.

"Because I miss the game. I see my retired basketball jersey hanging up on the wall, and I think about what I could've been. I've always loved basketball. It was the only thing that ever made any sense to me. And I was good at it."

Haley smiled. "Yeah, you were."

"It just sucks that it all ended, because it was the only thing that I ever wanted to truly do." Even though Nathan had come to terms with his injury, it didn't stop him from wondering just how far he could've made it in his basketball career. And no matter how much time passed, he knew it was something that he'd always carry around with him.

"Well, at least you're still involved in it, though. You're a very good assistant coach—a bit scary at times, but still good."

Nathan quirked an eyebrow. "You think I'm scary?"

"Well, you, Lucas, and Whitey do yell a lot. I feel bad for the guys sometimes. They look like they're working hard."

"They do most of the time. And we're not yelling at them because we're angry. We yell because we know that they can do a lot better. They just need to be pushed."

Haley nodded. "I guess I can understand that. But I'm still glad that I'm not on the receiving end of that."

"I can't yell at you. You're too cute. Plus, I know for a fact that you'd kick my ass if I did."

"Damn straight, mister," she teased.

"Now what about you?"

"What about me?"

"I told you my secret. Now it's your turn."

"Hmmm, let's see…ooh, I've got it. When I was in second grade, I stole some candy," she stated.

Nathan rolled his eyes and nudged her. "Come on, Baby James. That's not a secret. Tell me something for real," he said mimicking her earlier words.

Haley thought for another moment before finally replying, "Ok, so I never told anyone this. And it's not something that I'm very proud of."

"What is it?" Nathan prodded when she paused.

"I cheated on a geometry test my freshman year of high school," Haley admitted.

Nathan looked at her stunned. "Haley James cheated?"

"Yeah. It was in November when my mom caught that awful flu that was going around. My dad was away for work, and Matt and Taylor were busy with their own stuff. Anyway, I was the one who had to take care of her. I didn't have any time to study, so I cheated."

"Did you get caught?"

"No. But that wasn't the point. I mean, I knew what I'd done and that didn't sit right with me."

"Is that why you started tutoring?" Nathan questioned. He remembered that she had joined the staff at the Tutoring Center around that time.

"Yeah. I thought it would be some kind of penance, but it turned out that I really liked it."

Nathan smirked. "I thought it was just to get to me."

Haley laughed. "What am I going to do with you and that ego?"

"Eh, you love it," he teased. Haley smiled as she turned her head around to kiss him affectionately on the lips.

A moment later, however, her expression became serious. "Do you think that it's bad that I feel the same way about this whole Matt and Peyton thing?"

"What do you mean?" Nathan questioned confused.

"I don't know. I guess I feel like that time I cheated. Like a part of me should feel guilty and ashamed. Like I deserve to be ignored as some kind of penance."

Nathan shook his head. "Hales, listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong. You—we made a mistake and tried to fix it by telling Matt and Peyton the truth. If they can't handle it, then that's their problem. What they're doing to you isn't penance. It's punishment, and you don't deserve it. None of us do."

"I know. I can't help it, though. I still feel so horrible all of the time."

"You shouldn't, because you did the right thing in the end. In my book, that's nothing to be ashamed of." Haley remained quiet as she let Nathan's words sink in. "Don't let the negativity get to you, Hales. It's not worth it."

* * *

When Haley returned to her house a little while later, she noticed that her friends had already left. She was actually kind of glad that they were gone. She needed some time to herself. As Haley took her coat off, she heard her stomach growl. She hadn't had any dinner yet. And seeing as though her parents were out for the evening, it looked like she'd just have to fend for herself.

Haley then walked into the kitchen. She stopped short for a second when she noticed Matt was already in there. He was sitting at the counter eating a sandwich. Haley took a deep breath while entering the room completely. Her brother looked up at her momentarily before averting is eyes. He was still ignoring her. Nathan's earlier words played over in her head. She wasn't going to let him get to her. _It's not worth it_, Haley repeated in her head. She then went to the cupboard to grab a box of mac and cheese to make. The kitchen remained completely silent aside from the sound of Haley moving around.

When the mac and cheese was finally done, Haley walked over to another cupboard to grab a large bowl. It was slightly out of reach, so she had to stand on her tiptoes. Afterward, she placed the bowl on the counter. She was just about to mix everything when she felt someone's presence behind her.

"What did you do?"

Haley turned around and came face-to-face with her brother. "What?"

"Please tell me that it's a joke."

Haley stared at him confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Turn around. I want to see it." Haley continued to look at him perplexed until realization dawned on her. _Oh crap_, she thought with dread. _He must've seen it when I was reaching up for the bowl. _

"No."

"Turn around, Haley."

"No," Haley said with a shake of her head. She was trying to remain strong. But truthfully, her brother's infuriated gaze was unnerving her.

"Fine then," Matt retorted. He then firmly grabbed her arm and whirled her around. A second later, Haley felt the back of her shirt lift slightly. "I can't believe this."

Haley yanked away from him and pulled her shirt back down. "Matt, it's not—"

"Are you crazy?! What the hell is wrong with you, Haley?!" he exclaimed.

"Matt, it's nothing."

"Like hell it is. You've got his fucking jersey number tattooed on your ass, Haley."

"It's above my ass, actually," Haley corrected.

"I don't give a shit where it is!" Matt shouted. "I knew Nathan would be a bad influence on you. This is so like him. To get you branded with his—"

"Nathan didn't make me do anything. He doesn't even know about it!" Haley retorted. "I just did it."

"This is unbelievable. How could you be so stupid?!"

"Matt..." Haley began when she was interrupted.

"Hey, stop yelling at her," Taylor ordered as she came into the kitchen.

"Were you in on this, too?" he shouted.

"I don't know what you're raving about, but I refuse to talk to you when you're like this," she stated. "Go calm down and maybe then we can have a civilized conversation."

"Just answer the damn question, Taylor. Did you play a part in this?"

Taylor sighed. "Play a part in what?"

"In Haley getting Nathan's jersey number tattooed on her ass."

"It's not on my ass," Haley corrected again.

"What?" Taylor questioned shocked. She then looked over at Haley. "Did you really?"

Haley sighed nodding. "Yeah."

Taylor smiled. "Cool. Can I see it?"

"'Cool.' Is that all you can say?! It's dirty, degrading, tawdry…"

"You know what, Matt? Give the attitude a fucking rest," Taylor snapped. "It's Haley's body. She can do whatever the hell she wants to it."

"Taylor—"

"And besides, why the hell do you care anyway? You've been giving us the fucking silent treatment for like a month now. You said that you were 'done' with us all. I think that anything we do or say is pretty much none of your damn business from here on out." Haley felt like her stomach was in her throat as she watched her brother and sister face off. They used to argue all of the time, but it was never as intense as this. It was another minute before Matt turned around and stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Tay," Haley spoke up.

"Don't you apologize for anything," she ordered firmly. "I'm getting really tired of his shit. Somebody has to put him in his place."

"Well, thanks then."

"Sure. Besides, us tramp-stamp girls need to stick together," she teased while turning around and lifting up her shirt to show Haley her own tattoo. Haley laughed in response. "So, can I see it now?"

"Ok," Haley obliged. She then showed it to Taylor.

"When did you get it done?"

"About a week ago."

"Does Nathan know about it?"

"Not yet. I was going to wait a little bit before telling him," Haley declared. She had to muster up the courage. She wasn't really sure how he was going to react.

"Why'd you do it?"

Haley shrugged. "Because I love him." Despite what her brother thought, Haley didn't get the tattoo for Nathan. She got it for herself. Haley wanted a reminder of how much she loved Nathan. Even if they didn't wind up together in the end, Haley always wanted to be able to look back and remember everything he was making her feel.


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys, thank you all very much for the reviews. I enjoyed reading them. I also want to thank everyone who voted in the poll and PMed me about the sequel to MTA. Ninety two percent of you who voted want me to write it, so I'm taking that into consideration. I haven't fully decided if I'm going to do it yet. I'm still kind of hesitant. The reason why is that for the second story, I don't really want to tear Naley apart. That happened already in MTA. I guess I'm just worried that some people will think it's boring, because there won't be that big third-party or breakup threat involved. **

**Frankly, I'm sick to death of seeing it repeatedly used as Naley's major storyline on the show. Chris Keller, Taylor, and Rachel were enough in the previous seasons. I was so frustrated with S5, because I thought that Nathan's injury was more than enough drama for him, Haley, and Jamie. I wanted to see how they dealt with that and found their way back as a family on their own. A psychotic nanny, in my opinion, was not needed to help them realize how important they all are to each other. **

**That's definitely not the direction I want to take the sequel in. For the sequel, I would really love to focus on how Naley try to get through everything that happens to and around them together. I'm thinking of having the story take place three years later, so Naley is out of college. I don't want to give anything away, but I do have some really great ideas for the story that will create enough joy, drama, and angst without bringing in a third party or Naley separation. So, feedback would be greatly appreciated. I would really love to know everyone's opinions on this and to see if you're still interested in the sequel.**

**Now, about this chapter, it's not as long as the others. I didn't really want to drag it out, since I've got some big things planned for the next chapter. There also isn't a lot of Naley in this one, because it mostly focuses on what's happening with the other characters. But please read and review! Thanks!**

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**Chapter 28**

"I can't believe we're back already," Brooke complained as she lugged one of her suitcases into the room. "This is so depressing."

"Tigger, we had like a month off."

"Not long enough in my opinion." Haley shook her head at her friend's pout.

"Hales, where do you want this?" Nathan asked with one of the boxes in his hand. They were moving all of their things back into their dorm room, since classes started up again in a few of days.

"Just put it down by the closet. I'll take care of it later," she said. Nathan did as she said.

"Was that the last of it?" Brooke questioned.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah."

"Thank you for helping us," Haley stated. She then walked over and gave him an affectionate kiss.

"Anytime," he smirked before pulling her back to him. A second later, his lips crashed down on hers.

"And everyone says that Broody and I are bad," Brooke muttered with a shake of her head. "Ok, guys, break it up. That's enough tonsil hockey."

Nathan groaned. "I actually do have to go. I've got to help Lucas organize our room."

"Ok. I'll see you later," Haley said while giving him a quick peck on the lips. "But can you do something really quick for me first?"

Nathan stared at her skeptically. "What?"

Haley pointed to another box on the floor. "Can you put that on my bed please? It's too heavy, and I need to go through the stuff in there."

"Sure," Nathan replied. He then did as she requested. Meanwhile, Haley bent down to rearrange a few other things. After a few seconds, she felt Brooke nudge her and pull down on the back of her shirt.

"Tigger, wha—"

"Hales, I'm going," Nathan announced as he made his way to the door. "I'll call you."

"Ok, bye," she replied before turning back to Brooke. "What was that all about?"

"Your tramp stamp was showing, and Nathan could've seen it," Brooke said. "And I don't think you want him finding out about it like that."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Brooke knew all about her tattoo. She was the one who actually went with her to get it. The guy at the tattoo parlor had done Brooke's, too, a few years back.

"But can you stop calling it a tramp stamp? It's a tattoo, Tigger. Just like the one you have."

"Mine's on my thigh. Yours is on your ass, Haley. Therefore, it is a tramp stamp."

"Oh my God, for the last time, it's _above my ass_!" Haley exclaimed.

"Whatever," Brooke teased.

Haley rolled her eyes. "I really don't like you right now."

"Aw, you know you love me," Brooke declared with a dimpled smile. A moment later, her cell phone rang. "And speaking of people who love me…" She answered her phone and put it on loudspeaker. "What's up, Chase?"

"What's up, Brookie?"

"You miss me?"

"Always."

"You better. Say 'hi' to Haley, too."

"Is she there?"

"Yeah. And you're on loudspeaker."

"Hi, love muffin," Chase greeted.

Haley laughed. "Hi, Chase. How's the new semester going?" His classes had started back up a week earlier than theirs.

"It sucks. I can't wait until I finally graduate in May," he stated. "But how are you doing? Is that idiot brother of yours still being a jerk?"

"Yup."

"I'm sorry."

"It sucks, but I'm dealing with it."

"What about Peyton?"

"I still haven't seen her."

"And you better not. I still owe her an ass kicking for slapping you," Brooke declared.

"Brooke, she has cheer practice with us tomorrow," Haley pointed out.

"Even better. Now I can shove those pompoms down her throat."

"Thank God I'm across the country," Chase muttered. "You're scary when you're angry, Brookie."

"You bet your ass I am."

"Nobody is touching anyone else. And Chase, please don't encourage her," Haley pled. The last thing they needed was another smack down in the gym. For the next ten minutes, the friends talked on the phone to catch up. Chase's family had been away over winter break, so they didn't have many chances to talk to him. He usually called Taylor if he had any free time.

"Ok, girls, I hate to break up the bonding session, but I have to go. I've got another class in ten minutes," Chase informed them.

"Alright. We have to grab some lunch anyway," Brooke said.

"Say 'hi' to the guys for me."

"We will."

"And tell Sugar Lips I'll call her later."

"Who the hell is Sugar Lips?" Haley questioned confused.

"Taylor," Chase answered. Brooke and Haley exchanged looks before busting out laughing.

"Chase, where the hell do you get these names from?" Haley inquired.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased.

"How come I didn't get an annoying nickname?" Brooke pouted.

"Aw, Brookie, are you feeling left out?"

"Yes, Chase Theodore Adams, I am."

Chase groaned. "You promised never to bring up my middle name again."

"Give me a nickname and I won't."

"Fine. How does Dumplin' sound?"

"Dumplin'" Brooke said, letting it roll of her tongue. She then smiled satisfied. "I can live with that."

"Ok, then. Love Muffin, Dumplin', I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye."

"Bye, Chase," they replied before hanging up.

"He cracks me up," Brooke laughed.

"Me, too," Haley agreed. She then looked at her watch. "Come on. Let's head down to the dining hall before it fills up. I hate waiting in those long lines."

"Right behind you, Tramp-Stamp Girl."

"Brooke!"

* * *

"I'm full."

"I told you not to eat so much."

"But I was hungry."

"Well, now you're sick," Haley stated as they walked back to their dorm room from the dining hall.

"Be quiet, Mom," Brooke mocked.

"Whatever, fatty."

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you are so dead, Tutor Girl!" Haley squealed as she saw Brooke start to run after her.

"Tigger, don't do anything you might regret!"

"Trust me, I won't regret this," Brooke called after her.

"I thought you said you were full. How the hell can you run if you don't feel well?"

"I'm resilient like that!"

"Brooke!" Haley warned as she raced down the hallway to their room. She stopped suddenly, however, when she noticed Jake and Skills' door open. A moment later, she felt Brooke crash into the back of her, and they toppled onto the floor.

"Ow, Tigger! That hurt!" Haley exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't know you were going to stop short!" she defended.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Skills questioned as he came out of his room. "Jake, come see this. We've got some hott girl-on-girl action going on!"

"Brooke, get off of me," Haley ordered.

"I will as soon as the feeling returns to my limbs."

"Whoa," Jake commented with an amused smile. "Take it off!"

"Shut up, Jake," Brooke retorted as she started to stand up. Haley soon followed.

"Damn, I was hoping for a show," Skills teased.

"Do Nathan and Lucas know that the two of you are experimenting?" Jake questioned.

"Brooke banged into me, we fell, and landed on top of each other. That's it," Haley explained.

Jake smiled incredulously. "Sure you did."

"It's the truth you pervs," Brooke replied.

"We believe you," Skills stated with smirk. Haley was about to throw a sarcastic remark back at them when she realized something. _They're talking to us. Actually, not just talking. They're joking around. Did we miss something?_

"What's the matter?" Jake questioned when he looked at her.

Haley shook her head. "It's nothing. I just…um…the four of us haven't done this in awhile."

"Done what?" Skills asked perplexed.

"Ever since the whole Peyton drama hit the fan, you guys have been avoiding us like the plague," Brooke bluntly spoke up. Jake and Skills shared a look before turning back to them.

"Why don't you girls come in for a second," Jake proposed as the nodded to their room.

"Why?" Brooke inquired skeptically.

"Because we need to talk to you," Skills answered. Haley's curiosity piqued at that. She faced Brooke who shrugged her shoulders and nodded to go ahead. The guys then allowed them to enter first. They soon followed and shut the door behind them.

"So…um…what is this about?" Haley prodded when Jake and Skills remained silent for a moment or so.

"We wanted to apologize," Jake finally stated.

"What?" Brooke questioned surprised.

"Over the break, we've had some time to think. And what we came up with is that we're assholes," Skills declared.

Haley frowned. "Um…why?"

"I was upset about things not working out with Peyton, and I took that out on you. Well, all of you. I know that your intentions were in the right place," Jake explained. "You can't control Peyton or her feelings, and it wasn't fair of me to cut you out when you've actually been helping me all along. So, I'm sorry."

"Me, too," Skills added. "And we'd both like it if we could all start over this semester, leave the crap behind us, and be friends again."

Jake nodded in agreement. "We missed you guys. We want our movie night buddies back."

Haley felt a smile tugging at her lips. She glanced over at Brooke who also seemed to be touched by the genuineness of their apology.

"Thank you," Haley replied while pulling Jake in for a hug. She knew from experience just how much strength it took to admit your wrongdoings to others. And since Jake and Skills seemed to truly regret their actions, who was she to hold it against them?

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Get over here, Skills."

"It's Peyton's loss, right?" Jake muttered in Haley's ear.

Haley pulled back slightly and gave him a reassuring smile. "Right."

"Ok, now enough of this mushy stuff," Skills announced a moment later. "Who wants to watch a movie?"

Brooke smiled before adding, "And who's got the popcorn?"

* * *

"Why do we need to head to the gym again?"

"Because Whitey called," Lucas replied. "He needs to go over some things with us before practice starts up again tomorrow."

"Wow, looking forward to it," Nathan muttered sarcastically.

Lucas chuckled. "That's the spirit, little brother."

"Sorry. I'm just tired. I've been running around all day with trying to help the girls move in and then taking care of our room. Plus, my mom called and needed me to pick something up for her and bring it to the café. I haven't gotten a chance to rest, let alone think."

"Well, I don't think this will take that long."

"I hope not," Nathan said as they entered the gym. A moment later, he heard the sound of a basketball dribbling on the court.

"Hey, do you have authorization to be in here?" Lucas called to the guy. "This court is supposed to only be used by the basketball team or staff." The man grabbed the ball and took another shot at the hoop before turning around to face them.

"I've never had a problem before."

"Matt?" Nathan questioned.

"Don't worry. I was just leaving," he stated. He then walked over to the bleachers to gather the rest of his things.

"You don't have to go. We just didn't know it was you," Lucas said.

"I'm sure you didn't," he muttered sarcastically.

"Matt, stop being such a hard ass and stay," Nathan replied.

"Not a chance in Hell," he laughed humorlessly before heading for the door. A moment later, it slammed loudly behind him.

Nathan ran a hand roughly through his hair. "I don't know how much more of his attitude I can take."

Lucas sighed. "Me neither."

* * *

Haley took a deep breath before knocking on the door in front of her. She hadn't told Brooke, Nathan, or the others where she was going. She figured that they probably would've stopped her—and mostly likely would've been right in doing so. But Haley couldn't help it. It just felt like this was something that she had to do. It felt good to work things out with Jake and Skills earlier. However, there were still many things that were left unresolved—Peyton being one of them. A second later, the door opened to reveal the curly blonde that she'd just been thinking about.

"Uh, hi," Haley greeted softly.

Peyton looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. "What are you doing here?

"It's been awhile. I figured that we could talk," Haley stated. Peyton didn't reply. "Do you mind if I come in?" She still didn't answer.

"Or we could take a walk," Haley suggested. "Please, Peyton. I promise it won't take long." Peyton glanced at her for another second before walking out and closing the door behind her. She then silently gestured for her to lead the way.

It wasn't until a few minutes later when they were near the quad that Peyton spoke up, "Well, you got me out here. What do you want to say?"

"I was wondering if you got my letter."

"Yeah, I got it," she replied. Haley tried to gage Peyton's expression, but it remained neutral.

"Did you read it?"

Peyton shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"I burned it, actually."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh."

"Is that it?" Peyton questioned impatiently. "I have some more important things to do."

Haley sighed. "Peyton, please don't be like this—especially when you don't even know the whole story."

"I know enough."

"No, you don't," Haley firmly objected. "If you did know everything, you wouldn't be so pissed at me. And I'm pretty sure that if you'd had your facts straight a month ago, you wouldn't have slapped me."

Peyton ran a hand through her hair agitatedly. "Look, I'm sorry for hitting you. That was a bit extreme. But as for the rest, I can't take it back, because that is how I feel."

"Peyton—"

"And truthfully, I didn't want to read the letter. I don't want to know what was going on behind my back, because it's just going to hurt even more than it already does."

Haley shook her head. "Peyton, _nothing_ happened between Nathan and me when you guys were together."

"Maybe not physically," she stated. "But emotionally is a whole different story."

"Peyton…" Haley trailed off as she tried to find the right words.

"Don't try to deny it, Haley. You and I both know that he was pining after you. And what really sucks is that I could sense it when I was with him. I didn't know what was going on at the time, but it was just this feeling. It was like Nathan was with me, but he really wasn't…or he didn't want to be. When school started, it only got worse. Why do you think that we fought all of the time? I could feel him slowly pulling away from me. I mean, you know something is wrong when your boyfriend blows you off for extra study sessions."

"He needed the extra help in his classes," Haley said.

"We both know that that's a load of crap. He needed _you_, Haley. I was nothing more than a ball and chain to him."

"Peyton, I'm telling you that that's not true. Nathan did care for you. He told me. And before all of this, he valued your friendship."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's the problem right there. He told _you. _Not _me._"

Haley sighed defeated. "Honestly, Peyton, I don't know what else to tell you but that I'm sorry."

"You don't have to tell me anything," she stated. "Your obligations to me ended along with our friendship."

"So that's it? It's really over between us?" Haley questioned.

Peyton looked away briefly before facing her again. "I just…I can't pretend that this is all ok. Because it's not. I don't feel like I can trust you, Haley—or the others. I just think it's best that we go our separate ways from here on out." Haley stared at her silently for a few moments. Peyton's words no doubt stung, but she'd done all she could. If Peyton wasn't willing to accept her apology, then that was her choice.

"Fine. I can respect that," Haley stated. _What other choice do I have?_

"Good," Peyton replied. She was just about to turn and walk away when Haley halted her.

"You may not want anything to do with Nathan or me, but please don't keep taking it out on Jake." After spending time with Jake earlier, it was pretty easy to see how hung up he still was on Peyton. He was putting up a brave front, but Haley knew firsthand what it was like to want someone who didn't seem to want you back. It sucked—which was why she was going to try to set this straight now.

"What?"

"You're punishing him for something that he had nothing to do with. He's always cared for you, Peyton. He still does," Haley told her. "And I know how much you liked him in return. I saw it whenever you guys were around each other. But if you can't see that or get past whatever grudge you're holding, you might lose him for good." Haley saw the solemn look on Peyton's face as she processed her words and knew that she had hit a nerve. "It would be shame if you missed out on happiness twice." And with that, Haley then turned around and walked away—giving her former friend something very important to think about.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews and feedback last chapter. I very much appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 29**

"Oh my God, you guys, I've got some great news! Want to hear it? I know you do!"

"Hello to you, too, Tigger," Haley laughed. She looked over at Lucas and Nathan and saw that they also had amused smiles on their faces. They were all in the library working on homework for their new classes—at least until Brooke interrupted them.

"There's going to be a huge party tomorrow night in one of the dorms," she announced excitedly. "It's supposed to be awesome."

"Which dorm?" Lucas asked as he pulled out a chair for Brooke to sit on.

"Chafee," she answered.

"Wait, that's Matt's dorm," Haley pointed out.

Brooke shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"I think I'll pass," she stated. Haley didn't want to chance running into her brother. He'd been even colder towards her since he found out about her tattoo. She didn't particularly feel like being in the line of fire at the moment.

"Come on, Tutor Girl. The rest of us are going…"

"We are?" Lucas questioned.

"Yes," Brooke declared while giving him a look that it was not up for discussion. "You can't not go, Haley. Besides, what else are you going to do on a Saturday night?"

"I'm just not in a partying mood. That's all," Haley replied.

"But, Tutor Girl—"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to grab a book I need for class," Haley stated before getting up and walking over to the stacks. She found the section that she needed in the back and began looking through it. I wasn't long, however, before she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"Hales," Nathan said.

She kept searching. "Nathan, you didn't have to get up. I'll be right back."

"Why won't you go to the party?"

"I told you. I'm not in the mood." She continued her search and kept her back to him.

"I don't think that's it," he stated.

Haley sighed. "Where is that damn book?"

"Haley," Nathan said before turning her around to face him. "Talk to me. Why don't you really want to go?"

She looked away for a moment to sort through her thoughts. "Because I don't want to run into my brother. Every time I see him he gives me the cold shoulder or makes a comment. I'm just sick of it."

"So why not tell him that?" Nathan challenged.

"And risk another blow out between us? I don't think so," Haley scoffed.

"Hales, trust me, you couldn't make it any worse than it already is," he told her. "You shouldn't let Matt treat you like this. He wants that power over you." Haley closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the bookshelf. She knew that Nathan was right. She couldn't keep letting Matt do this to her.

"Come on, Baby James. Come to the party," Nathan coaxed. A second later, Haley felt his lips on her neck. She shuddered at the unexpected sensation.

"I don't know," Haley stubbornly muttered. Her eyes remained shut as Nathan's mouth nipped and sucked lightly at her tender skin. It wasn't long before one of her hands worked its way into his hair, holding him to her.

"You know you want to," he whispered huskily in her ear. The goose bumps instantly formed on her skin. _How does he do that?_

"I don't think so," she teased. Her voice hitched at the end when she suddenly felt him suck on her earlobe. His hands then went to her waist and drew her tightly against him. Haley's breath started coming in short gasps as he lightly kissed across her cheek to her mouth.

"Please?" Nathan's lips just barely grazed hers before pulling back.

Haley groaned in frustration. "You are not playing fair." Nathan smiled at the pout forming on her face. She was so adorable when she was flustered.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he smirked.

Haley got a mischievous smile on her face in return. "Fine then." Nathan stared at her questioningly. After a few seconds, he felt her tiny hands sliding up under his shirt. His skin tingled from her soft touch. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes when she started to trace the contours of his abs.

Haley grinned when she saw both the pained and pleasured expression on her boyfriend's face. She moved her hands up slowly to his chiseled chest. It was insane how built he was. Haley also couldn't help but revel in the heat radiating from him. She noticed Nathan's eyes open after a couple of seconds. His face then moved in closer to kiss her. She turned her head at the last second, giving him her cheek.

"Now who's not playing fair?" he questioned.

Haley gave him a smirk of her own. "I'll make you a deal," she declared. "I'll go to this stupid party if…"

"If what?" Nathan prodded when she paused.

"If you promise to dance with me a few times," she replied.

"Hales," Nathan groaned. Although, she couldn't decipher if it was from her proposal or just the fact that she'd now started to lightly scrape her nails against his flesh. She knew that always drove him crazy.

"Promise me," Haley said.

Nathan sighed defeated. "Fine. I promise to dance with you."

"Thank you," Haley replied with a beaming smile.

"Now can I kiss you?" The impatience in his voice didn't escape her.

"Yes. What are you waiting for?" she teased. His reply was crashing his lips onto hers in a hard, heated kiss.

"Let's stay here for a bit. We don't have to go back to doing our homework right away," he mumbled into her mouth.

Haley tightened her hold on him and moaned, "Definitely not."

* * *

"I'm done."

"Nathan."

"I'm serious, Hales. I can't take it anymore."

"You promised," Haley reminded him.

"Hales, I've publicly humiliated myself enough tonight. The guys have enough ammunition to mock me for the rest of the semester," Nathan declared.

Haley waved her hand at him dismissively. "Oh, stop being so overdramatic."

"Nice moves, Nate. You and my grandmother would get along well," Skills teased as he passed by.

"See!"

Haley had to suppress a laugh. "Fine. We'll take a break for awhile."

"But—"

"I'll only make you dance to a couple of slow songs from now on. Fair enough?"

"Haley," he complained.

"Nathan," she retorted.

"Fine," he agreed. He did promise to dance with her before. The worst part was over with the fast songs. The slow ones he could at least pretend to know what he was doing.

"You're such a good little trooper," Haley teased and kissed him sweetly.

"Yeah, that's me," Nathan mumbled sarcastically. Haley just rolled her eyes and led him over to the couches with the others.

"Nice moves, Nate!" Taylor quipped as the others snickered.

"If anyone asks, we are no longer related," Lucas stated.

"Leave him alone you guys," Haley said as she sat on Nathan's lap. There wasn't enough room on the couch to squeeze her in, not that she minded. Haley was actually glad that she'd decided to come to the party. They were all having a great time together. And thankfully, she hadn't seen any signs of her brother. She had, however, seen Peyton. But the blonde quickly looked away from her and took off.

"Where did Tim go?" Haley inquired after a couple of minutes.

"He's on the dance floor grinding with his new girlfriend," Jake said as he approached the group. "I just saw them."

"Tim has a girlfriend?" Brooke questioned skeptically.

"Yeah. Some girl from our class named Bevin."

"What's she like?" Haley asked.

"Well—" Jake began when he was interrupted by the couple in question.

"Hey, guys, I want you to meet someone," Tim announced. "This is my new girlfriend Bevin. Bevin, these are all of my friends that I've been telling you about."

"Hi," Bevin greeted cheerfully with a wave. Everyone returned the greeting. Haley thought that she seemed nice enough.

"Oh, you two are so cute," Bevin complimented as her attention turned to her and Nathan. Haley shared a look with Nathan.

"Um, thanks," she replied.

"I don't get why everyone keeps talking about you guys. It's nice to see two people in love. I don't think it makes you cheating scum at all." Both Nathan and Haley tensed as the other's mouths dropped open in shock. Haley felt her temper flare but didn't really find herself mad at Bevin. The blonde was smiling kindly like she'd just given them some great compliment.

"Come on, Bevin, let's get you a drink," Tim quickly stated as he steered her away. He then silently mouthed an "I'm sorry" to the group. _It figures that Tim would find a girl who can be as clueless as him sometimes_, Nathan thought.

"Tutor Girl," Brooke said with a concerned look on her face.

"I think I need a drink, too," Haley declared before getting up. She headed over towards the keg. She wasn't going to drink. She just needed an excuse to leave her friends. Although Bevin didn't seem to mean them in a bad way, they'd still hit Haley hard. It was then that she noticed all of the people looking at her and whispering. She'd been hoping that the rumors and gossip would've died down by now. _Apparently not_, she noted.

Haley knew a large part of it probably had to do with the fact that she was with Nathan instead of these other girls. After Nathan and Peyton had broken up, a lot of the girls on campus had started flirting and trying to talk to him more. Haley tried not to let it get to her at the time. She was trying to "move on" back then. It did, however, get on her nerves now—especially since most of these girls were total hypocrites. Haley highly doubted that any of them would've backed off if Nathan gave them the time of day—even if he was still with Peyton. They were probably also the reason why this whole situation with Matt and Peyton was so blown out of proportion. People just couldn't keep their big mouths shut. Half the stuff people were talking about wasn't even true, and it was frustrating Haley more and more everyday.

"They're a bunch of vultures, aren't they?" someone spoke up next to her. Haley turned to see Solaris.

"That's one way of putting it," Haley muttered.

"Don't worry. They'll get bored eventually and move on to the next big thing," she assured her.

"I hope so." Haley then gave her a thankful smile. Despite the trouble that Haley was having with Matt, she was relieved to see that Solaris hadn't been acting any different towards her lately. In fact, Haley was pretty sure that Solaris was also trying to reason with Matt. She'd told Haley before that she a couple of older brothers, too. Her exact words in describing them were, "They're fucking crazy." Haley couldn't help but laugh at that one.

"Solaris, there you are!" Matt exclaimed. "I've been looking all over…" Haley gave him a small smile when his eyes landed on her.

"What are you doing talking to my girlfriend?"

"Matt," Solaris warned.

"I'm not doing anything wrong. Unlike some people, she's not ignoring me," Haley fired back. She could hear Nathan's words yesterday echoing in her mind. She couldn't let Matt keep treating her this way. She had to stand up to him.

"Well, unlike _some_ people, she doesn't lie to other people's faces," he retorted.

Haley took a deep breath to keep calm. "I said I was _sorry_, Matt. Get over it."

"Stop dating my ass of an ex best friend and maybe I will."

"The only person who's acting like an ass around here is you," she argued while still trying to keep her aggravation under control. Haley was usually a pretty calm person. But when she got angry, she had the tendency to explode. There were too many people watching her at the moment. Creating a big scene would not help matters.

"Is there a problem?" Nathan questioned as he came to stand beside her. He'd been watching the whole thing from the couch and decided to intervene. If Matt thought that he was going to pick on Haley again, then he was seriously mistaken.

"How sweet of your knight in shining armor to rescue you," Matt mocked.

"Watch it," Nathan warned.

"Or what?" Matt challenged.

"Trust me, you don't want to find out," Nathan gritted out. Haley glanced worriedly between them. She and Solaris then shared a look. The hostility was coming off of the two guys in waves.

"Well, maybe—"

"Matt, don't," Solaris told him.

"Nathan, come on," Haley said as she started to back him away from Matt. "Let's go." She grabbed his hand and started to lead him to the couches where the rest of their group was located.

"But, Hales—"

"Just walk away, Nathan. I don't want you to do something stupid," she said while looking him in the eyes. She then gently caressed his cheek and kissed him. "Now let's go."

* * *

Nathan couldn't let it go. He was sick and tired of dealing with Matt's crap. And he was sick and tired of seeing the effect it had on his friends and Haley. This whole debacle had gone on long enough. _It's time to set a few things straight_, he thought while looking at the people around him. For the last ten minutes, he'd been searching for Matt in the crowd. He had to get to him before his friends figured out that he hadn't really gone to the bathroom. It was a few moments later that he finally spotted him. He was talking to a couple of guys towards the back of the room. Nathan approached them.

"I don't mean to break up the fun, but we need to talk," he demanded.

Matt looked over at him slightly surprised. "We have nothing to talk about."

"Could you guys excuse us?" Nathan said to the others. They nodded and took off.

"What the hell do you want, Nathan?" Matt questioned annoyed.

"I want to know what makes you think that you have the fucking right to treat Haley and the rest of us like crap," he stated bluntly.

"I thought we went over this already. I don't have to explain myself to you."

He made a move to leave, but Nathan blocked him. "Yes, you do. What the hell are you so tweaked about, Matt? Huh? I'm dating Haley. So what? We lied to you. So what? We apologized for that. And what do you do? You ignore us all for weeks. When is it going to finally end?"

Matt snorted. "You are something else, you know that? After everything you've done, you have the fucking nerve to come to me and act all self-righteous?"

"See, that's what I'm talking about right there," Nathan pointed out. "What did I do that was so horrible, Matt? Tell me, please. I'd really like to know."

"Before you, my sister never would've turned her back on me. She never would've lied to me. She never would've screwed my best friend. And she certainly would've never let you brand her ass with your jersey number."

"First of all, Haley's lying and 'turning her back' on you was brought on by yourself. If you didn't overreact and flip out all of the time, she probably wouldn't have been afraid to tell you the truth. Second, Haley and I have never slept together. Despite what you think, she wants to wait, and I'm respecting that," Nathan replied. "And third, what the hell are you talking about with all this branding crap and my jersey number?" Nathan had no idea where that came from. He was beyond confused at the moment.

"Oh please, like you don't know," Matt retorted angrily.

"Know what?" Nathan asked getting frustrated.

"I saw the fucking tattoo, Nathan! Your old jersey number is on her fucking ass!"

"What? I don't—"

"So congratulations, you finally managed to turn my baby sister into another one of your many mindless, infatuated skanks!"

Nathan's jaw clenched as his last bit of self-control had snapped. Matt had definitely just crossed the line. The anger exploded inside of Nathan. Before he could even think about what he was doing, his fist was raised and collided with Matt's face.

"You son of a bitch!" Matt yelled while wiping the blood from his mouth. He then charged him. Nathan felt himself go flying backwards. They landed on a coffee table that instantly broke from their weight and force of the impact. One of Matt's fists slammed into his stomach and then his eye. Nathan managed to sock him hard in the gut and push him off. He was then on top and got a few good punches in. The cheers and shouts of the crowd that had formed were lost to them as they fought.

"Nathan! Matt!" Haley shouted. She and the rest of the group were trying to push people out of the way to get to them. They were now rolling around on the floor—each one trying to gain the upper hand.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Lucas exclaimed as he, Tim, Jake, and Skills tried to break up the fight and separate them.

"Oh my God," Haley heard Brooke gasp next to her.

"Guys, stop it!" Haley ordered as she saw Nathan and Matt continue to fight against their friends restraining them. "That's enough! ENOUGH!" It took a couple of minutes before they finally stopped struggling. They both breathed heavily and continued to glare at one another.

"What the hell is the matter with the both of you?!" Haley berated. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything!"

"Hales—" Nathan started.

"I don't want to hear it," she snapped. "This entire situation has gotten completely out of control. I told you to walk away before."

"I told you to watch out for him," Matt said.

Haley whipped around to face him. "He is _not_ the problem here, Matt. _You _are. I am so damn sick of walking on eggshells with you. I made a mistake, and I apologized to you. And because I felt so guilty about lying, I've also allowed you get away with a lot more than you should have. Well, no more."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm not doing this anymore! Why do you think that I lied before, Matt?! Huh? It's because I wanted to avoid this. I didn't not tell you about Nathan to save my own ass. I did it because I wasn't sure how you were going to take it. I wasn't worried about me. I was worried about you. I've always been worried about you!" she exclaimed. "I've been suppressing everything I've been feeling over the years just because I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing you or making you angry. And I certainly didn't want to come between your friendship with Nathan, because I know how important he is to you—whether you want to admit that right now or not.

"You're always talking about my obligations to you as a sister. Well, what about your obligations to me as a brother?! Don't you want to see me happy? Don't you want me to be able to make my own damn decisions? Don't you want me to be able to stand up for myself, even though I may not always agree with you? Seriously, does that mean anything to you at all?!"

"Haley—" Matt tried to cut in, but she kept going. She'd been holding in all of this for so long that it was virtually impossible to close it back up now.

Haley could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she spoke. "You've been giving me such a hard time, because you said that you were disappointed in me. You were ashamed of my behavior. Well, what makes you think, _big brother_, that I haven't been just as disappointed and ashamed of you?! You've been nothing but selfish, stubborn, arrogant, rude and conceited to all of us. All I've ever wanted and needed from you is your trust and support. But you've never given them to me unless it's according to your terms. And if you're going to keep acting this way, then I hope you'll continue to 'ignore' me. I don't want to talk to you or be around you when you're like this. Because, frankly, I don't need that in my life—especially not from you."

"Haley—"

"It's time for _you_ to grow up, Matt," she said forcefully. "Because I know I have."

* * *

Haley was laying down on her bed in her dorm room as the earlier events of the night replayed over in her mind. She couldn't believe everything that had happened. Haley knew that there was a lot of tension between Nathan and Matt, but she'd didn't think they'd get into such a bad fight. She'd been so scared and torn as she watched them. She didn't want to see her boyfriend or brother get hurt. It actually broke her heart to see them literally be at each other's throats. They used to be such good friends.

Haley had already been stressed out tonight. But seeing that was the icing on the cake. She'd finally reached her limit. She'd been dealing with all of this drama for over a month now, and she was sick of it. Haley didn't mean to yell at her brother in front of everyone, but she just couldn't take it anymore. Everything had gotten so out of hand. He'd gotten so out of hand. It was time that she finally put Matt in his place once and for all. It had been difficult. But despite that, Haley had to admit that it felt good standing up to him.

Haley soon found herself wondering what everyone was doing now. She'd left after her little "speech." She needed some time alone. Plus, she didn't really want to stick around for everyone's reactions. Haley did wonder, however, if Matt and Nathan had acquired more than just cuts and bruises from their brawl. She hoped that they were at least ok. Haley then sighed and ran her hands over her face. _What the hell am I going to do with them? _Her answer came in the form of a soft knock on the door. She got up to see who it was.

"Hey."

Haley looked at him for a moment before replying. "Hey."

"Do you mind if I come in?" Haley wordlessly stepped aside and shut the door behind him. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Obviously," she muttered dryly. "You shouldn't have hit him, Nathan."

"I know. And I'm really sorry. I just…he started to say things about you again, and I lost it," Nathan stated. He watched Haley carefully, trying to gage her. When she still didn't say anything, he added, "Are you really angry with me?"

Haley sighed. "It's not so much that I'm angry. I know that Matt instigated you. I'm just more…disappointed than anything."

Nathan's eyes dropped to the ground as her words hit him. "I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely.

"_Don't _do it again," she warned sternly. She could see that Nathan felt horrible about it. And she couldn't completely blame him for his reaction. He'd been pushed to his breaking point like she had. But Haley wanted to make sure he knew not to push his luck another time.

Nathan nodded in response. A moment later, he flinched when he felt Haley's fingers trace the bruise around his eye.

"It looks pretty bad," Haley commented.

"It hurts pretty bad, too," he replied.

"Sit down on my bed. I might have something to help with that," she stated. Haley then walked over to her and Brooke's mini fridge. They usually kept a couple of icepacks in there. She grabbed one and handed it to Nathan.

"Keep this on your eye for a little bit," she instructed.

"Thanks."

"How's your stomach?" Haley questioned. He'd taken quite a few hits there, too.

"It's ok."

"Let me see," Haley requested. She then lifted up his shirt and saw that bruising, too. "Does that still hurt?"

"I'll live," Nathan stated.

Haley hesitated for a moment before asking, "How's Matt?"

"Probably just as sore as I am. He went with Solaris the last time I saw him." Nathan then added while staring at her, "We weren't the only ones who packed a punch tonight, though."

Haley nodded in understanding. "I guess you could say that I lost it, too."

"You were kind of scary," Nathan teased lightly before running his hand through her hair. "But I was proud of you."

"Thanks," Haley muttered while giving him a small smile. She then laughed humorlessly. "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are," he agreed. A moment later, he felt Haley lean against his shoulder. Meanwhile, he brought his hand to her back and started to rub it soothingly. It was then that something popped into his head from earlier. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Did you…um…did you really get a tattoo of my jersey number on your ass?" he questioned tentatively.

"It's _above_ my ass," she corrected with a sigh. _Why does everyone keep getting that wrong?!_ "And how did you find out?"

"Matt told me."

"Oh."

"Can I see it?" he requested.

Haley met his gaze before looking away shyly. "I don't know."

"Please?" Haley paused for another moment before finally giving in. She then stood up and turned her back towards him. Before she could make a move, he was already lifting up her shirt. Nathan didn't say anything for a few minutes. Haley was thankful that she wasn't facing him, because he surely would've seen the deep blush on her face.

Nathan stared at the small, dark blue "23" on his girlfriend's lower back in awe. He'd never expected this. But looking at it now, he couldn't deny that he liked it, because he did. He _really_ did. After a few seconds, Nathan moved his fingers across the smooth, inked skin. He heard Haley breath in sharply and felt her shudder a little under his touch.

"Why'd you get it done?"

"I just wanted something to remember my first love by," she softly stated. Nathan felt a smile tug at his lips as a sense of pride shot through him.

"It's permanent, though," he reminded her.

"I know. But even if things don't work out, I still want to be able to look back and remember what I'm feeling now," she explained. "Does it bother you?" Now Haley wished that she could see Nathan's face. She had no idea what was going through his mind right now.

"No. If you're ok with it, then I am, too," Nathan declared. "Plus, it's fucking sexy as hell." Haley blushed again and almost gasped when she felt his mouth cover the skin with her tattoo. Nathan then turned her around and pulled her onto his lap. His lips immediately claimed hers in a passionate kiss. Haley held onto him gently—careful not to touch any possible bruises.

"I actually have something for you, too," Nathan said once they broke apart.

Haley stared at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I was originally going to wait until our three-month anniversary next week to give you this. But after tonight and everything that's been going on, I thought maybe you'd like it now."

"Nathan Scott, are you trying to bribe me into forgiving you?" Haley teased.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "No. I thought you already did. But since you mentioned it…"

"Just give me the gift," Haley laughed nudging him.

Nathan smirked. "Ok." He then reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box, and handed it to her. Haley stared at it curiously before opening it. She gasped when she saw what was inside.

"Nathan…"

"It's a promise ring."

Haley was speechless. The ring was white gold. In the center there was a round diamond. On each side of it was a heart pointing inward. They had four small stones inside of them. The hearts were then followed by another four small stones on the band itself. Haley felt her eyes water as she continued to appraise it.

"Do the silence and tears mean that you like it?" Nathan questioned anxiously.

"No," Haley choked out laughing. "It means I love it." Nathan smiled relieved. He then took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her left ring finger.

"It's gorgeous," Haley declared. "Thank you."

Nathan smirked. "Don't say I never gave you anything, Baby James." Haley laughed and drew him in for an earth-shattering kiss.

"I love you so much," Nathan mumbled against her lips.

"I love you, too." The pair continued to kiss and get lost in their own little world until the door opened several minutes later. Haley broke away from Nathan to see Brooke, Lucas, and Taylor walk in.

"Hey, guys," Haley greeted excitedly while standing. "Look at what Nathan…" The words died on her lips when she took at the solemn expressions on their faces. "What's the matter?"

"There's, um…" Taylor trailed off. Haley noticed the tears in her eyes. Her sister never cried. Even Brooke's eyes were watering. Haley felt the panic start to form afterward.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked as he came to stand by Haley. Something was wrong, and it was making him extremely nervous.

Lucas took a deep breath before finally meeting their gazes. "There's been an accident..."


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys, I'm back! Thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter and being patient while I was on vacation. I went to Disney World with my family. And let me say, it was a freaking sauna down there in Orlando. I think I had heat exhaustion during the whole trip. But it was fun anyway. I know that you're all anxious for this next chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint. So please read and review!**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Haley's stomach was in knots as she and her friends were piled into Lucas' truck on the way to the hospital. She had no idea what had happened or what was going on. All she knew was that her parents had called Taylor and told her that they had to rush to the hospital. Matt had been in some kind of car accident. He was still in the emergency room, and they didn't know how serious it was yet.

Haley felt herself start to shake slightly. Matt had to be ok. He was one of the strongest people she knew. He could get through anything. Haley didn't even want to think about the possibility that he could be seriously injured. After everything she said to him tonight…no, she couldn't go there. Not now. The important thing was making sure that her brother was alright. The only thing calming Haley right now was Nathan's hand gently caressing hers. She was sitting between him and Taylor in the backseat of Lucas' truck. Her sister, meanwhile, was lost in her own thoughts while looking out the window. A moment later, Haley felt Nathan wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her into him.

"It's going to be ok, Hales," he softly tried to soothe. Nathan didn't know anymore than she did, but he prayed to God that he was right. He could see how worked up Haley already was, and he didn't blame her. His stomach felt like it was in his throat at the moment from worry.

"We're almost there," Lucas announced. Haley took Taylor's hand in hers as she buried her head in Nathan's chest. A moment later, true to his word, Lucas pulled up in front of the hospital entrance.

"You guys go ahead," he said. "I'll be right in after I find a parking spot." The rest of them quickly got out of the truck and headed into the building. Taylor reached the main desk first and asked where they'd taken Matt. When the woman gave them the information they'd needed, they hurried to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened on the appropriate floor, the foursome instantly recognized Lydia and Jimmy sitting in the waiting room.

"Mom, Dad," Haley called as they approached them.

"Oh, kids," Lydia said relieved as she and Jimmy stood up to meet them.

"Is Matt ok?" Taylor questioned. "Is it serious?"

"We spoke to the doctor," Jimmy stated. "He's going to be fine. He just needs some stitches on his forehead."

"The other car hit him from the passenger's side, so he got lucky," Lydia added.

"Oh, thank God," Haley sighed relieved.

"Solaris is still in the emergency room, though," Jimmy spoke up. "The surgeon hasn't come back out yet?"

"Wait, Solaris was with him?" Taylor asked.

"Surgeon?" Nathan questioned as they all exchanged looks. It was then that Haley noticed Solaris' parents sitting on the other side of the room.

"She wasn't so lucky. She was sitting in the passenger's seat. We don't know exactly what is going on, but it seems serious," Lydia explained gravely.

"Oh my God," Brooke muttered.

"Does Matt know what's going on?" Haley inquired.

Jimmy shook his head. "Not yet." Haley then shot a glance at her sister. They shared a knowing look. Matt was going to be devastated if Solaris wasn't ok. They both knew how much he cared about her.

"Nathan, honey, are you alright?" Lydia questioned.

"Jeez, what happened?" Jimmy added as he looked him over. It was then that he'd remembered how messed up he must appear with the bruises on his face. He also felt guilt and shame flow through him as he stared as Lydia and Jimmy. They'd probably be pissed and disappointed if they knew he was fighting with Matt earlier.

"Some guy was acting up at a party earlier. Nathan stepped in," Haley explained vaguely. Nathan threw her a thankful look.

"Did you want to see a doctor, too? That shiner looks pretty bad," Jimmy commented.

Nathan shook his head dismissively. "Haley already gave me some ice. It'll be fine."

"You sure?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt anymore." Truthfully, Nathan was still pretty sore. But it's not like they needed to know that. It's not what was important right now.

"Alright, then. Why don't you kids take a seat?" Lydia suggested. "It'll probably be a while longer." They did as she instructed. A few minutes later, Lucas joined them. They filled him in on what was going on. After that, they all remained silent. Haley leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder, seeking the comfort she needed. He didn't hesitate to give it to her. She felt him start to lightly caress her hand again.

Another ten minutes passed before the doors to the ER opened, and Matt walked out. They all immediately stood up and raced over to him. Haley cringed when she saw the dark black stitches on his forehead. She always did have a weak stomach. But the fact that the wound was on her brother didn't help matters.

"Matt, honey, are you ok?" Lydia exclaimed. "Let me look at you."

"I'm ok, Mom," he assured her. Jimmy then looked to the doctor after she walked up to them.

"He's going to be fine," the woman declared. "Just make sure that he rests for the next few days and doesn't do anything to aggravate the stitches."

"We will," Lydia promised.

"What about my girlfriend Solaris? Is she ok?" Matt questioned anxiously.

"As far as I know, she's not out of the OR yet," the woman replied.

"OR?" Matt asked confused.

"The operating room. Unfortunately, her injuries were much more serious than yours. I'm afraid that I can't give you anymore information. But Dr. Kahn is one of our best surgeons. Your girlfriend is in good hands."

"Thank you, Dr…." Jimmy trailed off.

"Dr. Brown," the woman filled in.

"Thank you, Dr. Brown. We appreciate all of your help," Jimmy stated sincerely as he shook her hand.

"No problem. Just make sure that you also keep an eye on your son for the next couple of days. If anything out of the ordinary happens, let me know. We ran some tests to make sure he didn't suffer a head injury. Nothing appeared to be wrong, but it's always good to be on the safe side."

"Of course," Lydia replied. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome," Dr. Brown responded before leaving.

"Matt?" Jimmy questioned concerned. Haley watched as her brother's face paled.

"It's my fault," he mumbled.

Lydia shook her head. "Honey, it was an accident."

"No, it wasn't," he stated firmly. "I should've been paying more attention. I thought the light was green, but…"

"Just calm down. There's no sense in making yourself sick over it right now," Jimmy advised. "Just focus on keeping yourself together—for Solaris." Haley saw the broken expression on her brother's face and wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and comfort him. She'd never seen him so shaken up. She watched as his eyes finally noticed Solaris' parents pacing across the room.

"I need some air," Matt declared.

"I'll come with you," Jimmy said.

"No, I need to be alone," he replied.

"Matt, you've just been in an accident," Lydia tried to reason. "Let one of us—"

"I'll be fine," Matt stated before starting to walk away from them. His tone left no room for discussion.

"He doesn't look so good," Taylor commented after a moment. "Maybe we should—"

"No, leave him alone for awhile," Haley advised. "He needs to process everything."

"Are you sure he's going to be ok?" Brooke muttered.

Haley sighed worriedly. "I don't know."

* * *

Haley sat on her bed in her dorm room and placed her head in her hands. She could feel another headache coming on. Her body felt like it was dragging these last few days. The huge amount of stress she was under coupled with the inability to get a decent night's rest was definitely not helping matters.

Haley felt the bed shift as Brooke took a seat beside her. "What's the matter?"

"I just got off the phone with my mom."

"Is everything alright? Did Solaris' condition change?" she asked concerned.

"No," Haley replied. "She said it was the same. Matt's worse, though." It turned out that Solaris' injuries were much more serious than any one of them could have predicted. According to her parents, who had talked to Solaris' parents, Solaris' right lung had collapsed in the accident and had to be repaired. Her spleen was removed and her shoulder was separated and later reset. When she woke up, she'd have to go for physical therapy—which meant cheerleading would be out of the question for awhile. The bigger problem, however, being _when_ she woke up. Solaris had also suffered a concussion and lost a lot of blood. The doctor said that it could be anywhere between a number of hours or days before she regained consciousness. So far, it was three days and counting.

"He's still not leaving the house."

She nodded her head. "He's barely even eating now, and he refused to come out of his room today. My parents are really starting to worry." Matt had been an emotional mess since the accident. Neither her mom nor her dad could get through to him. Taylor had tried to talk to him, too, but had no such luck.

"What are you thinking?" Brooke questioned with a knowing look.

"I'm wondering if I should go over there," Haley stated.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, after what happened between the two of you…" she trailed off.

"I can't not do anything, Brooke. Despite everything that's happened, he's still my brother. And he's hurting…I can't just sit back and do nothing." She wasn't sure how much luck she would have, but it was worth a shot.

"I know," Brooke muttered quietly. She was silent for another minute before finally asking, "So, when are you going over there?"

"I was thinking after my last class today. Probably around four o'clock."

"Do you want a ride?"

Haley nodded. "If you don't mind."

"You know that I've got your back, Tutor Girl."

Haley smiled as she felt Brooke's arm wrap around her shoulders to pull her into a comforting hug. "Thanks, Tigger."

* * *

Haley took a deep breath before knocking on the door in front of her. She could hear the voices of her parents and Brooke talking downstairs but tried to drown them out. Instead, she strained to hear any sounds of movement from behind the door. When nothing could be heard, she knocked again. There was still no answer. Finally, Haley decided to just take the plunge. She turned the knob and carefully opened the door. She poked her head inside. It was then that she saw her brother sitting on his bed. He was in a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt. His attention was on something in his hands that she couldn't quite make out.

"Can I come in?" she questioned tentatively. Matt just shrugged without tearing his gaze away from the unknown object. Haley walked in and shut the door behind her. His room was much darker than she'd anticipated. His blinds were shut blocking out the light of the sun outside. Instead, the only light in the room came from a small desk lamp a few feet away.

Haley stood in the center of his room awkwardly. They hadn't spoken since the big blowout at the party last Saturday night. She felt a pang of sadness in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't remember a time when she'd been more disconnected or uncomfortable around her brother. And as she stared at him now, that feeling only increased. He looked like a lost, troubled little boy. It was quite the opposite from his usually over-confident and self-assured attitude. Most of the time, she found those qualities on the annoying side. But now, she'd give anything to see him back to normal. Anything was better than this. He was like a zombie at the moment, and it was quickly starting to weird her out.

"How are your stitches?" It was the first thing that popped into her head, but she went with it. "They look like they're healing."

"Yeah," he mumbled in a low voice.

"Do they still hurt?"

"No." The room was silent again as Haley wracked her brain for something else to say.

"What are you looking at?" Matt briefly held up his hand to show her. Haley saw the photo booth pictures of him and Solaris and inwardly cringed.

"I saw her the other day, you know," Haley gently told him. "She had more color. She looked better."

"Is she still unconscious?"

"Yes," she replied reluctantly.

"Then she's not better." His tone wasn't even edgy, she noticed. If anything, it sounded defeated.

Haley sighed. "Matt, you can't do this to yourself. It was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was," he said with a bitter smile. "Along with everything else…It should have been me."

Haley's eyes widened at that. She then quickly took a seat near him on the bed. "Don't say that."

"It's the truth. I shouldn't have been driving. My head wasn't in the right place—which was why I wanted to go to the River Court in the first place. But I wasn't paying attention. I was thinking about the fight, Nathan, you…I didn't even notice that my traffic light wasn't the one that changed. I didn't even see the other car…" he trailed off, his eyes glassing over. Haley felt her own eyes start to water.

"Matt, I'm sorry," she began. "Those things I said…I shouldn't have—"

"Don't," he cut her off sharply. His gaze instantly hardened, causing her to flinch. "Don't even think about it."

"About what?" she questioned confused.

"Apologizing," he answered. "We both know that you were right about everything you said. I've been an ass. It's what I realized as I was driving. And I know that I deserve to be punished for my behavior. But not Solaris. She didn't do anything wrong. She's a good person. She shouldn't have to suffer because of my stupid mistakes."

"Is that why you won't go to see her? Because you feel guilty?" Haley guessed.

"It's more than that," he stated as he looked back down at the pictures in his hand. "I don't deserve to be around her."

"That's not true," Haley objected. "She loves you, Matt. She would want you there."

"There's nothing that I can do for her. I've done enough. And if I go, it'll be just to put my own mind at ease. There's no way in hell that I'm going to visit her just so that I can make myself feel better."

Haley stared at Matt intently for a moment. She knew that his mind was made up—at least for now. She didn't want to push it. "It's your choice. But I hope that you'll reconsider—for her."

"I'd like to be alone now, if you don't mind," was his only response. Haley sighed softly before nodding in assent. She then made her way towards the door. Just as she was about to leave, however, she paused and turned back to face him.

"For what it's worth, my door is always open. If you want to talk or whatever…I'm still your sister. I love you no matter what, you know."

She then left him to his solitude. But not before she could've sworn hearing, "I don't deserve that either."

* * *

Nathan ran a hand through his hair as he struggled to write the next sentence of his research paper. He was exhausted, but he was determined to finish it now. He only had one more paragraph to go. His mind, however, was not cooperating. Nathan had spoken to Lucas just a few minutes ago before he left. His brother had heard from Brooke that Solaris had still not woken up. Everyone was pulling for her. The news of the accident had quickly spread around campus. It now appeared that his and Haley's relationship was no longer the topic that people preferred to gossip about anymore. He would've been relieved about that if this new turn of events wasn't so much more worse.

Nathan sighed frustrated as he tried to wrack his brain for something to write. It wasn't long before he started to drum his fingers on his desk. The sound was later drowned out by a soft knock on his door a few moments later. Nathan then got up to answer it.

"Hey, it's not too late, is it?" Nathan took in Haley's appearance and instantly knew that something was wrong. Her bottom lip was slightly torn—no doubt from her incessant biting when she was worried or anxious. Her hair was up in a small ponytail pulled away from her face. He got the perfect view of her chocolate brown eyes. He frowned when he noticed that they were a little bloodshot.

"Of course not." Nathan then stepped aside to let her in. "Is everything ok?"

"No, not really," she commented in a quiet voice.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Haley shook her head. "Not right now."

"Ok," Nathan replied at a loss for words.

"Were you in the middle of something?" Haley asked. He followed her gaze to his desk.

"It can wait."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you," Haley mumbled regretfully. She then turned around to leave. But not before Nathan grabbed her arm to halt her.

"No. Stay," he said while turning her back around. It was then that he noticed the tears shining in her eyes. "Hales?" She didn't reply. Instead, she threw herself into his embrace and held on tightly. Now he knew that something was most definitely going on with her. But he didn't push it. He walked them both slowly over to the bed to lie down. He simply held her and waited until she'd gotten it all out.

"Hales, what's the matter?" he murmured in her ear when she was calmer. He pulled away slightly so that he could look into her eyes. One of his hands then came up to wipe away her remaining tears.

"I went to see Matt earlier," she said, her voice raw from crying.

"What happened?" he asked cautiously. None of them had really talked to Matt since Saturday night. What was there to say after something like that? At a time like this?

"He's in really bad shape, Nathan. I've never seen him like this."

"Like what?" He knew that Matt was having a hard time, but he didn't know the extent of it.

"It's like his whole world is falling apart. He won't really talk to my parents or Taylor or me. He's not eating right. He won't leave his room. He feels so angry and guilty with himself for everything—including how he treated all of us before this happened."

Nathan looked at her surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. He thinks the accident is his punishment. It's why he won't visit Solaris. He thinks that he should be the one lying in that hospital bed. Matt feels like he doesn't even deserve to be around her."

"Maybe he doesn't."

"What?" she questioned shocked.

Nathan flinched at her hurt expression. "I didn't mean it quite like that. It's just that…although this whole accident thing is really terrible, and Solaris didn't deserve to get hurt, maybe this is the wake-up call that he needed."

"Nathan, no one deserves to have the person that they love in the hospital," she stated firmly.

"I know that. And if it had been you in that accident and in the hospital, I'd be a mess right now, too," Nathan said as he stroked her cheek. "All I'm saying is that he's hurt a lot of people recently, and now he's finally realizing the extent of it."

"So what should we do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Matt needs to work this out on his own. We've already told him how we all feel. When he's ready, he'll come to his senses," he stated. He then added, "I know he's your brother and you feel responsible for him, Hales, but you're not. He's a big boy. He can handle this himself."

"And what if I am?"

Nathan frowned confused. "What?"

"Responsible," she muttered softly. "He was thinking about the things that I said while he was driving. If I hadn't—"

"Hales," he cut in quickly. He'd been afraid this would happen. Haley had such a good heart. She never liked hurting anyone or to see it happen to someone she loved. Nathan knew that she'd somehow try to take the burden off of her brother and put it on herself. He firmly took hold of her face and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Don't even go there. You couldn't have predicted this. None of us could. So don't beat yourself up for saying something that you felt. Especially when you know that your brother had to hear it. It's not your fault."

Haley sighed. "I know you're right, but I can't help thinking it. You know how I get."

He gave her a small smile and nodded. "You're too kind-hearted for your own good."

"It really sucks sometimes," she muttered.

"But it's one of the things that I love about you most," he replied before leaning in to give her a tender kiss on the lips.

Haley couldn't help the smile forming on her lips. "Charmer."

He smirked. "That's me."

"I don't get how you do it."

Nathan frowned perplexed. "Do what?"

"You're always so self-assured and confident. You don't let things bother you. I wish that I could be like that sometimes."

"Yeah, well, I make it look easy."

"Meaning?" she prodded.

Nathan sighed. "Matt was my best friend, Hales. I feel horrible about how everything turned out, too. And despite all of the crap he's put us through, I can't say that I don't worry about the guy. I don't want to see him suffering. But the situation is what it is…I can't change that."

"And what if he did come to you? What if he told you that he was sorry for everything? What would you do then? Would you be his friend again?"

"Why do you ask? Is Matt going to—"

"I don't know what he's planning to do. I was just curious," she explained.

"Well, if he was sorry and he truly meant it…yeah, I would. Even if the accident hadn't happened, and he'd come to me before, I'd still accept the apology."

"Really?"

Nathan shrugged. "We all screw up, Hales. There's no point in holding a grudge. And we've all seen what happens when things like this are taken too far. It's not worth it," he declared. "Besides, it's what friends do."

"You know, that was actually pretty good," Haley commented impressed. "I didn't know you could be so wise."

"Well, I am two years older than you," he teased.

"That's right. I forgot that you were an old man."

"Watch it, Baby James," he joked. He then kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"You just did." Haley rolled her eyes and gave him a look to get serious. "Alright, what is it?"

"Would you mind if I stayed here with you tonight? We haven't gotten a chance to spend that much time together these last few days. I miss you," she said while stroking his cheek.

Nathan kissed her again softly. "I miss you, too. But Lucas—"

"We actually don't have to worry about him. He's going to stay with Brooke tonight."

Nathan smirked before teasing, "So you had this all planned even before you asked me? That's very presumptuous, Baby James."

Haley rolled her eyes and smiled. "For your information, Brooke was the one who wanted Lucas to spend the night in our room. I don't know what they're up to. But knowing them, I didn't ask."

"So, basically, you're roomless anyway," Nathan concluded.

"Yeah."

"Oh, alright. You can stay if you absolutely have to," he joked.

Haley smiled before wrapping her arms securely around his neck and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was gentle, but Haley could feel the underlying excitement. This is exactly what she needed tonight. She hated being away from Nathan these last few days. But everything just seemed to be interfering with their time together. They'd talked on the phone briefly a couple of times, but that wasn't enough. She needed to be near him. She needed to feel his warm embrace and the comfort she often experienced in his presence. Haley needed to forget for awhile just how screwed up her world had become. And if there was anyone who was good at making her happy and helping her to feel carefree, it was Nathan.

"Wait, don't you still have homework to do?" Haley questioned remembering. Her voice had come out much breathier than she'd hoped. But then again, it was very hard to speak whenever Nathan started to nip and suck on her neck like that. She was such a sucker for that highly-skilled mouth of his.

Nathan lifted his head and shot a look over to his desk. He looked back and forth between her and the research paper on his computer that sat waiting.

"Eh, screw it," he muttered. And before she could even muster a reply of her own, his perfect lips had promptly and passionately returned to hers.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys, as usual, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. This is the second to last chapter in the story. It's not as long as the others, but I didn't want to drag it out. I hope you all like it and will continue to review. Also, tomorrow is the Fourth of July. So for those of you living in the U.S, Happy Independence Day!**

* * *

**Chapter 31**

Haley checked the bouquet of flowers in her hand to make sure that they were in order. She'd picked them up early this morning. She'd chosen only bright and cheerful colors. Solaris' hospital room was beyond dreary, and Haley wanted her to have something nice to look at when she woke up. Even if her brother couldn't go to see his girlfriend, it didn't mean that she couldn't do it for him.

Haley walked down the length of the hallway to Solaris' room. She noticed the door was open and walked on in. She was relieved to see that no one else was in the room. She'd been hoping to have some time alone with her. However, Haley did notice a huge array of flowers and cards everywhere. There had been a few things before, but it seemed that there had been more deliveries since she'd seen her the other day. Haley reached into the small shopping bag she'd also brought with her. She figured that a vase for the flowers probably wouldn't be around, so she bought a small one herself. She then walked over to the sink in Solaris' room and filled the vase with water. Afterward, she placed the flowers inside. She arranged them neatly before putting it on the windowsill with the other gifts.

Haley then pulled up a chair and repositioned it more towards the bed. She took in Solaris' appearance. Her color still looked good. However, it didn't overshadow all of the machines she was hooked up to monitoring her.

"Hey, Solaris," Haley greeted in a soft, but cheerful voice. "It's me…Haley…again. I thought I'd see how you're doing today." Haley smiled as she noticed the small traces of makeup on her face. "I can see that Brooke's been by recently, too. She mentioned something the other day about making sure that you're the hottest unconscious person in the hospital. I think it was a mission accomplished. You look great."

"Well…great as can be considering the circumstances," she amended. "And don't be worried about the cheerleading squad. Brooke and I have taken over in your absence. We're making sure that none of the girls go soft. All you need to do is concentrate on getting better. Ok?"

"We're all pulling for you. And we'll be here as long as you need us," Haley promised. "I'm sure you've gotten a lot of visitors lately. You're probably wondering why Matt hasn't stopped by yet. But you should know that he wants to. He really does. He just…he's going through a tough time right now. He feels guilty for everything, and he's punishing himself. He feels like he doesn't deserve to be around you.

"But none of this has been your fault. I actually want to thank you for everything you've done for him these last couple of months. Despite that hard exterior of his, I know that separating himself from our group was tearing him apart. It still is. I'm glad that he had you. He really needed you. Actually, he still needs you."

"I'm so sorry," Haley said with tears in her eyes a moment later. "For all of this. I never thought…I didn't want anyone to get hurt—especially not you. You've been helping me in your own way, too. Everyone else was being really mean to me after Nathan and I made our relationship public. But you weren't. I really appreciate that. I'm also thankful that you tried to talk some sense into my brother. We both know how stubborn and thick-headed he can be. Matt always had a soft spot for you, though."

Haley felt a few more hot, salty teardrops slide down her cheeks. She then took her friend's hand in hers. "Solaris, if you can hear me, please wake up. You have to. I know that you're stronger than this. I've still got some of the bruises from cheer practice to prove it," she tried to joke. It was then that a sob escaped her. It was too much seeing her friend like this. "Please…" Haley's voice hitched as she started to full on cry. She dropped her arms to the bed and buried her head in them. She didn't know how much time had passed before she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Haley instantly looked up. Her vision was a little blurry from the tears, but it wasn't too hard to recognize the curly blonde hair.

"Here," Peyton said as she held a few tissues out for her. Haley grabbed them as she tried to regain control over her emotions.

"Thank you," Haley said after a moment. Her voice was still a little shaky.

"Are you going to be ok?"

Haley nodded. "Things have just been…"

"Crazy," Peyton supplied.

"Yeah," Haley replied.

"I'll bet," she murmured softly.

"Um, well, I was just leaving anyway. So…"

"You don't have to leave on my account. You were here first," Peyton said.

"No, it's ok. I've been here long enough. It's someone else's turn." She then stood up.

"Actually, I'd rather you stayed," Peyton stated. Haley looked over at her surprised. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you."

Haley stared at her puzzled. "You have?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah." She then nodded back to Haley's previous seat. "So, will you please stay?"

"Um…sure." Haley sat down again as Peyton pulled up another chair next to her. She had no idea what the curly blonde could possibly have to talk to her about. They hadn't really parted ways on the best of terms. Haley had to admit she was a little weary at the moment.

"I…uh…I owe you a really big apology," Peyton began. "I've been terrible to you, and I'm sorry for that."

"What?" Haley questioned back shocked.

"I read your letter and—"

"I thought you said you burned it," Haley interrupted.

Peyton looked at her guiltily. "I sort of lied about that…Can you just let me explain?" Haley looked at her for a moment before nodding for her to go ahead. "When you came to my door a few weeks ago, I was still really upset about everything that happened. I was very confused about what to believe. I'd seen you and Nathan together. You guys looked so happy that I just thought how could something not have been going on before? Something had to have led the two of you to become what you are now.

"Anyway, I didn't burn the letter. I held onto it, but I didn't read it. I was still having trouble bringing myself to do it. I can be very stubborn, and I guess that part of my personality won out."

"You were still mean to me, though," Haley pointed out.

"I know," Peyton replied regretfully. "I was never in love with Nathan. I liked him, sure, but it was never love. It was nothing like what you guys have. I guess you could say that I was jealous…and bitter. I've never been very good with rejection. It's really hard for me to put myself out there with someone. I don't like being vulnerable. But I was when I was with him as my boyfriend and you as my friend. And to think that you guys would take advantage of that…it really hurt and infuriated me."

"We didn't do that."

"I know that now. And I'm so sorry for how I treated you and the others—especially Jake. I was afraid to take the plunge with him, too, and I used you and Nathan as a way to push him away. I was wrong to do that," Peyton admitted.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but what brought this on?" Haley questioned. "When did you finally decide to read my letter?"

Peyton glanced over at Solaris' unconscious form. "A few days ago…after the accident. My mom actually died in a car accident years back. It reminded me of how quickly things can change in the blink of an eye, and how we shouldn't take the things or people in our lives for granted. Suddenly, relationship problems and fighting seemed so petty. You looked very honest and genuine the last time we spoke—no matter how much I didn't want to admit it then—so I figured it was time I got over myself and really listened to what you had to say."

"And now?" Haley asked.

"Now I know that I'm lucky enough to have really great friends in my life who would never want to hurt me. And I'm just hoping that they'll forgive me for what a bitch I've been. I know it will take time, but I'd like to start over—if that's possible," Peyton explained with a humble and inquiring expression.

Haley stared at her for a moment before giving her a small, encouraging smile. "I'm pretty sure it is."

* * *

Nathan rolled the basketball around in his hands as he made his way to the River Court. The air was chilly tonight, but he didn't care. He took a deep breath and reveled in it. He'd been in the hot, stuffy gym all day working with the basketball team. Things had been going much smoother for the guys. And Quentin had become a whole lot better since his suspension. He was now back on the team. Nathan's jaw had almost dropped when he gave him instructions today and the guy followed them without complaint. They might actually have a chance at winning the championship this season.

But now Nathan wanted some time for himself. He quickened his pace when he saw the lights of the River Court ahead. Of course, he probably would've been there by now if he hadn't taken a small detour to the high school gym first. He couldn't help it. Sometimes he just had to check to make sure that his basketball achievements were real. They felt almost like a lifetime ago. He'd also taken in the spot where the cheerleaders used to practice and root for them during games. It then got him to thinking about Haley. He wondered if she still had her old Ravens uniform. He hadn't let his mind wander too much down that road, though. He'd have to save that fantasy for when a cold shower was actually nearby.

Nathan sighed. _Almost there_, he thought. It wasn't long before his feet reached the blacktop. He was just about to start shooting around when he noticed a lone figure sitting on the bleachers nearby. Nathan walked closer to get a better look at the guy.

"Matt?" he questioned. The brown-haired boy lifted his head to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

It took a moment before he answered, "I had to get out of the house. I ended up here."

As Nathan further took in his friend's appearance, he realized just how right Haley had been. Matt was a mess. His clothes were baggy and his hair unruly. There were also dark bags under his eyes—most likely from lack of sleep—that were prominent against his paler-than-normal skin. He looked like he was ready to lose it at any second. Nathan felt his stomach wrench at the sight. This was definitely not their Matt.

"Do you mind if I sit?" Nathan questioned.

"I don't know why you'd want to. Considering…" he trailed off.

"It doesn't matter," Nathan said.

"Then sit, I guess," Matt mumbled. Nathan sat down next to him, making sure to leave several inches of space between them. He didn't want Matt to feel crowded in at the moment. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to get away for a while," Nathan answered. "Are you ok?"

"My girlfriend is in the hospital, you all hate me, and I probably have a mountain of work waiting for me when I go back to school," he stated. "What do you think?"

Nathan shook his head. "We don't hate you."

"Well, you should."

A long silence then passed between them before Matt finally broke it. "Did you know that Haley almost drowned when she was younger?"

"What?" Nathan questioned with a mixture of shock and dread.

"She was only five years old at the time. I was seven. My parents were having a yard sale that day. Taylor was over a friend's house, so my parents asked me to watch Haley in the house for a little while until they were done. I had other plans, though," he explained. "They'd just bought me a basketball hoop for my birthday. It was set up in the backyard on the patio at the time. I really wanted to play with it.

"So I grabbed Haley and a few of her favorite toys and brought her outside with me. I started playing, and it wasn't long before I got lost in my own little world. I don't know how much time had passed. But the next time I turned around to check on her, she wasn't where I left her. I searched the area and still couldn't find her.

"That's when I remembered about our pool. I found her floating face down. One of her toys was near her, and she must have tried to grab it and fell in. I don't know if she even remembers what happened, but I'll never forget it that image," Matt stated—his voice hitching a bit. "I screamed like a maniac for my parents. My dad had to jump in and get her. My mom called an ambulance while my dad gave her CPR. She coughed up the water before the paramedics got there, but it was close. Too close. She could've died, and it would've been my fault…some big brother I was.

"My parents forgave me, because I was only a kid. But I never forgave myself. That's when I vowed to always protect her. I would never let anything or anyone hurt her again. Water wasn't much of a threat as she got older, though.

"But guys were…I didn't mean to take it so far. I didn't even know that I was hurting her myself until she told me everything at that party. And now Solaris…" he trailed off as his voice started to choke up. Nathan saw his friend's eyes get watery and felt his own do the same in return. "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry for everything."

"It's going to be ok."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. We're all here for you, man."

"How can you say that?" Matt questioned in disbelief while standing up. "I've done nothing but be a bastard to you and the others. I mean, I got you so pissed that you punched me. Why are you even here with me right now? You should just leave me alone. It's what I deserve!"

Nathan stood up to face him. "I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?!"

"Because you're my best friend. I'm not going to turn my back on you. I know that you're sorry, and that's enough for me," Nathan stated. "If you want to keep punishing yourself for your mistakes, then that's your choice. But I won't. I forgive you, Matt."

Matt shook his head and mumbled, "I don't deserve forgiveness."

"I think you do," Nathan stated while meeting his gaze. "And whether you like it or not, you just got it—at least from me." As Matt stared at him, Nathan could see the internal battle that his friend was still fighting. He was about to say something else to him when they were interrupted by another voice.

"Is everything alright?" Nathan turned to see Haley standing off to the side, watching them. He hadn't even heard her approaching.

"Hales, what are you doing here?" he questioned curiously.

"I was, um, looking for Matt," she stated. Haley then turned to her brother. "Solaris is awake."

"What?" Matt asked shocked. "When?"

"About a half hour ago. Peyton and I were there when she opened her eyes. She's been asking for you." Nathan looked at her confused. _Haley and Peyton?_ He made a mental note to ask her about that later. He then shifted his attention back to a speechless Matt.

Haley then held out her hand. "Come on, big brother, let me take you to her. I don't think you want to keep her waiting."

* * *

Haley wiped at her eyes as she and Nathan took a seat on a bench outside the hospital. Her brother had been in some kind of daze as she drove him to the hospital. She didn't know if he was more relieved or just still in shock. But when they'd finally made it to her room and Solaris spoke to him, he'd snapped out it. He'd practically sprinted to her side. Solaris pulled him into a hug. And that's when she'd heard her brother finally break down and start to cry. It brought tears to her own eyes. She and Nathan had then left the room to give them more privacy.

"Hales?" Nathan asked her concerned.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just glad that Solaris is ok. And maybe Matt now, too."

"He'll get there. I know it," Nathan said while giving her an encouraging smile. He then wrapped his arms around Haley and pulled her onto his lap. "So, you want to tell me about you and Peyton? I don't see any red marks on your face, so I'm assuming that's a good sign."

Haley rolled her eyes before whacking his arm. "Nobody was bitch slapped if that's what you're getting at."

"Good to hear," Nathan smirked.

"We talked, and she apologized for everything," Haley stated. "We're going to try to be friends again."

"Well, I'm glad things worked out between the two of you."

"You should expect a visit from her, too."

"Great."

"Be nice," Haley warned. "You of all people should know how hard it is to apologize to someone."

"I promise that I'll be on my best behavior."

Haley smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you. Now it's your turn. What's going on with you and my brother? I didn't see any new battle scars, so I'm assuming that's a good sign," she said, mimicking his earlier words.

"Ha ha," he laughed dryly.

"Nathan?" Haley prodded.

"I think things are going to be ok between us, too," Nathan declared as he brought his hand to her face. It was then that he remembered Matt's earlier story about Haley's near drowning. It definitely explained a lot about his best friend's behavior over the years. It also made him realize that there could've been a chance Haley wouldn't be sitting with him right now. She could've been taken from him years ago.

"What's the matter?" Haley questioned at his concentrated gaze. He didn't answer her verbally. Instead, his mouth connected with hers in a fierce kiss. Haley was surprised by the intensity but didn't object. She felt the tip of his tongue tracing her bottom lip and obediently opened her mouth for him. It wasn't long before she was completely breathless as he continued to ravage her lips.

"Promise me you won't go near any deep water when I'm not around, ok?" he muttered.

Haley pulled away just enough to look at him. "What?"

"Just promise me. Please?" he pled.

Haley frowned. Why was he going on about water? "Yeah, sure. I promise."

"Good." She was just about to ask him why she had to promise that when his mouth returned to hers. The familiar haze in her mind she got whenever he kissed her soon took over, and her question was forgotten.

Nathan tightened his hands around her waist when something else popped into his head. "Hey, Hales?"

"Mmm?" she answered without breaking contact.

"Just out of curiosity…you wouldn't happen to still have your old Ravens uniform, would you?"


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys, once again, thank you all so much for the reviews. I always love reading them. And I especially want to thank those of you have reviewed for every chapter. I really appreciate you taking the extra time to leave feedback. This is the last chapter in the story, so I hope you all like it. I really enjoyed writing this fic. Also, I hope you guys will be on the lookout for my new upcoming stories. The first chapter of Half-Life will be posted soon. As for Secrets of Life, I'm up to about 18 chapters right now. I think that the final total of chapters will be either in the thirties or forties. So I still have a way to go with that one. If you go to my profile, you'll be able to see the summaries for both fics. Thank you all again for your wonderful support and feedback. Enjoy the last chapter and please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 32**

"Nathan Royal Scott, stop. I mean it," Haley warned.

"Or what?"

"Or you'll be sorry."

"Ooh, I'm shaking, Hales."

"You're hurting me," she declared.

He smirked. "No, I'm not."

"You're aggravating me then."

"I'm not doing that either."

Haley sighed frustrated. "Whatever. Will you please get off of me now?" It's not like she didn't like the feeling of his body on top of hers holding her down on the bed. Because she certainly did. The boy was too sexy for his own good. But right now, it was the principle of the matter that was important.

"Not until you say it."

"I won't do it," she replied stubbornly.

"Say it."

Haley shook her head. "No way."

"Fine. Then you leave me with no choice." He gave her a meaningful look. Haley stared at him confused before realization dawned on her.

"Don't," she pled.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Na-THAN!" she squealed when his fingers met the sensitive skin of her stomach. She couldn't contain her laughter as he mercilessly tickled her.

"Say it, Hales."

"No!" she laughed uncontrollably. Nathan's hands squeezed her a little tighter. Haley squealed again.

"Come on, Baby James. I know you can," he teased.

"Nathan!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

"Let's hear it," Nathan coaxed.

"Ugh, fine! You are the strongest, hottest, and overall b-best boyfriend in the world. Channing T-Tatum doesn't even com-compare to you," she declared between giggles. "Are you h-happy now?!"

Nathan's hands finally stilled on her waist. He then smiled with surprised innocence. "Aw, gee, Hales, I had no idea you felt that way. Thanks."

"He can still dance better, though," she added teasingly. She couldn't resist. Nathan had been pouting ever since they started watching Step Up about an hour ago. Haley knew that he got jealous when she drooled over the guy, but it's not like she knew she was consciously doing it.

"Oh, now you're asking for it," he said before tickling her, once again.

"What? It's the t-truth," Haley laughed. "Now stop!" Nathan didn't listen. He was enjoying his hold on her too much. It wasn't long before Haley's sides started to hurt from laughing so hard. It was then that she did the only thing she could think of to stop him.

Nathan was surprised when he felt Haley pull is head down and press her lips to his. His hands instantly stopped moving as a low groan escaped him. Haley smiled against his mouth. _It works every time_, she mused.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he mumbled against her lips.

"I know exactly what I'm doing," she declared with a smirk of her own. It was then that she surprised him by flipping them over so she was now on top, straddling him.

"I can see that," he teased in a husky tone. Haley shushed him with another heated kiss. She brought one of her hands to his cheek as the other slid down the length of his torso. Her lips then caressed his jaw and made their way over to his ear. She bit down on the lobe before sucking on the spot just behind it. It was his weakness, she'd discovered, and it always managed to drive him crazy.

"This is so much better than that stupid movie," Nathan muttered in her ear. His eyes closed again as she lightly bit his neck. He couldn't help but bury his hand in her hair to hold her to him.

"Mmm hmm," Haley replied distractedly. She slid her hands under his shirt to feel the hard, taut muscles of his stomach and torso. As usual, it gave her goose bumps when her fingertips came into contact with his blazing skin. He was always warm, and it felt good during the cold February weather. The dorms always felt a bit chillier than necessary.

"Hales," Nathan murmured before pulling her mouth back to his. He never liked being parted from her lips for long. Her tongue slid along his bottom lip, begging for entrance. He quickly gave it to her. She was the one leading today, and he couldn't help but find it sexy. The two continued their passionate make-out session for several more minutes until a knock sounded at the door.

"Damn it," Nathan cursed under his breath. He seriously wanted to kill whoever just interrupted them.

"And I was just getting started," Haley muttered jokingly.

Nathan groaned. "Sadly, so was I."

"Nathan, are you in there?" a voice called. It was Matt.

"You better get it," Haley said before getting off of him. She then wiped at her mouth and fixed her hair.

Nathan sighed. "I'm coming." He checked himself in the mirror to make sure that he didn't have any of her lip gloss on him.

"Hey, Matt," Nathan greeted after opening the door.

"Hey," he replied.

"What's up?"

"Um, I was looking for Haley. I stopped by her room, and Brooke said that she was here. I need to talk to her."

"Yeah, she's here. Come on in," Nathan said while stepping aside.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Matt," Haley stated once she saw him.

"Hi." He gave her a timid smile as silence fell upon the room.

A couple of minutes later, Nathan finally broke it. "I'll…um…I'll give the two of you some privacy." He knew that Haley and Matt had a lot to talk about, and that they needed to do it alone. Nathan then gave Haley an encouraging smile and patted Matt on the back before leaving.

"So…uh…things are really ok between the two of you?" Haley questioned.

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Nathan and I talked again the other day. We're cool now."

"That's good," Haley stated.

"I also talked and apologized to the rest of the group. Taylor said it was 'about time,'" he laughed.

Haley grinned. "That does sound like Taylor."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Now you're the only one left."

"Saving the best for last?" Haley tried to joke.

"Something like that," he replied. "You also happen to be the person I hurt the most."

"It's ok. It's over," Haley said with a shrug.

Matt shook his head. "No, it's not ok. I always swore to myself that I would protect you. I just never realized that it was me you actually needed protection from. I should've never treated you the way that I did. You came clean and apologized. You didn't have to do that, but you did."

"I still lied," Haley pointed out.

"But I drove you to it," Matt countered. "I'm so sorry, Haley. You've turned into a strong, confident, intelligent young woman. You know how to take care of yourself. You don't need my 'protection' anymore. The truth is that you haven't needed it in a long time. I saw that, but you know how stubborn I can be. I just didn't want to let you go.

"And I'm also sorry about how I went to Peyton and told her about you and Nathan. That wasn't my place. I didn't really do it to spite you. I was a jackass and wanted to get back at Nathan. I hadn't realized she'd turn on you like she did."

"Actually, Peyton and I talked a few days ago. Right before Solaris woke up. We're going to try to be friends again," Haley explained.

"Good. I'm glad things worked out."

"Yeah," Haley replied.

"Anyway, I'm just really sorry. And if you don't want to forgive me now—or ever—that's fine. I'll understand. But you should know that I've realized what a dick I've been and—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Haley had closed the gap between them and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I know. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Matt replied a few seconds later and gave her an affectionate squeeze.

Haley then pulled away to look up at him. "Now what about you? How are you doing? You don't still think that you deserve to be punished, do you?"

Matt shook his head. "No. Not anymore. Solaris managed to knock some sense into me."

"Well, thank God for that. You had us all worried sick about you."

"Sorry," he replied guiltily.

"As long as you're ok now."

"I am," he declared. He then added, "I also want to thank you."

Haley frowned. "For what?"

"For visiting Solaris in the hospital. She told me she heard your voice a couple of times."

Haley smiled. "Well, she's my friend. Plus, I knew that you couldn't go at the time. I wanted her to know that you were thinking about her."

"Well, I really appreciate it. Thank you."

"No problem, MJ."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Don't start, Haley Bop."

Haley laughed. A moment later, though, her expression was serious again. "So, um, I was just wondering. How do you feel now? You know...about Nathan and me?"

"All I need to know is that he loves you and will treat you right. The rest is none of my business. I trust you…and him."

Haley stared at him. "Are you sure you're my brother?" she teased.

"Well, you see, I'm trying this new thing where I stand back and let you live your life," Matt said. "Although, if you do ever need me to beat the crap out of some slime ball for you, don't hesitate to ask. I'm still your big brother, after all."

"I'll keep that in mind for future reference."

"Good…so, you want me to let Nathan back in?"

"Well, it is his room," Haley laughed.

"Good point." Matt then walked towards the door and opened it. Nathan was leaning against the wall across the hall. "We're done in here if you want to come back in."

Nathan nodded and entered the room. "Did you guys work everything out?"

"Yeah," Haley said. "We're fine." She smiled up at Nathan and rubbed her hand on his arm.

"What's that?" Matt suddenly asked. Haley looked over at him confused and followed his gaze to her hand. He was staring at the ring on her finger with wide eyes. Haley watched her brother carefully. He looked up at her and started to say something before quickly shutting his mouth. Haley had to suppress a smile. She figured it might be a little while before he completely got used to "standing back and letting her live her own life."

"Don't worry. It's only a promise ring," Haley assured him. She looked to Nathan who had an amused smirk on his face.

Matt seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He then shrugged his shoulders and looked at them casually. "I knew that."

* * *

Four Months Later…

"Wooo! Go, Broody!" Brooke cheered.

"Come on, Nathan, you've got this!" Haley yelled.

"Get the ball, Jake! Get the ball!" Peyton shouted.

"Matt, get in there! You're letting him walk all over you!" Solaris exclaimed.

"Good defense, Tim!" Bevin added.

"Chase, honey, breathe! You won't pass out if you just breathe," Taylor instructed. She then mumbled to herself, "I have to take him to the gym."

"Yes! Good shot, sweetie!" Haley called as Nathan made the perfect three-pointer. A big smile then formed on her face as she saw Lucas, Tim, Matt, and Jake grumbling about him getting lucky. Meanwhile, Skills and Chase were giving him high fives. The whole gang was at the River Court just hanging out. Their second semester had finally ended a few days ago. They'd all been counting down the days to summer and relaxation.

A lot had happened over the past few months. Solaris had been released from the hospital a week after her accident. She was on bed rest for a while before she eventually started physical therapy to her shoulder. Haley and Brooke, per Solaris' request, continued to take care of the cheerleading squad.

Matt also took care of Solaris. He fussed over her nonstop and had no problem being at her beck and call—which earned him a lot of jokes about being whipped from the guys. Since he'd apologized to everyone, he was welcomed back into their little group with open arms. And true to his word, he hadn't been overprotective or bossy towards Haley. He hadn't given her or Nathan any trouble. In fact, he teased them along with the rest of the group now. Matt had also finally started treating Haley like a mature young woman rather than the baby of the group, which she was thankful for. She knew it took him some getting used to in the beginning.

As for Peyton, she'd apologized to the group, as well. It took some time before things had finally returned to the way they used to be. Brooke had given her the hardest time of them all—since she was still pissed about the whole bitch slap thing—but they eventually worked it out and got back on track. The best part, however, was when Peyton and Jake had finally gotten together. They'd been dating for almost three months now and couldn't be happier.

"Does Chase look a little pale to you?" Brooke questioned.

"I'll give him some Gatorade," Taylor said before getting up and walking over to him. Haley smiled at the scene. Her sister and Chase had been dating exclusively for several months now and were still going strong. It was so serious, in fact, that Chase had decided to move to Tree Hill permanently so he could be closer to Taylor and the rest of them. He'd already graduated from college a few weeks ago and found a job in a nearby city. He was staying at Brooke's house until he got an apartment of his own.

"Why don't you guys take a break for awhile?" Solaris suggested. Haley nodded in agreement. It was only mid-May, but the weather was already scorching. Haley then grabbed Nathan's water bottle and brought it to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled while kissing her.

"Ugh, you're all sweaty," Haley laughed pulling away.

"You know you like it," Nathan teased before finally taking a big swig of water.

"I'm with Tutor Girl. You guys are gross," Brooke declared.

"Well, you try playing an intense game of basketball out in the sun," Lucas defended.

"And in this humidity," Skills added.

"I think I'll pass," Brooke retorted.

"Chase, how are you holding up?" Haley questioned when she saw that he was hunched over.

"I think…I need…to work out more," he panted. "I still feel seriously out of shape."

"Aw, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Love Muffin. I'll survive."

"It's ok, baby. I'll take your spot," Taylor declared.

"But you're a girl."

"So? I used to play with the guys all of the time."

"Chase Adams, am I hearing things or were you just being a sexist pig?" Brooke asked with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't mean it like that, Dumplin'. I was just surprised. That's all," he defended.

"Because girls can totally do anything that guys can," Brooke stated. Lucas snickered. She then glared at him. "Is there something you'd like to add, Broody?"

"No."

"Really?" she questioned in disbelief.

"Well, it's just that every time I offer to teach you how to play, you complain that you might break a nail." The other guys laughed as the girls glared at them.

"But that doesn't mean that we can't play," Peyton argued.

"Yeah," Haley agreed.

"Hales, baby, you can only shoot granny style," Nathan reminded her.

"So?" Bevin challenged. Brooke then ran her hands through her hair and put it up in a ponytail.

"What are you doing?" Lucas questioned.

"I'm getting ready to kick your ass, Broody," she declared. "I think a little battle of the sexes is in order."

"I'm with Brooke," Peyton said. "Us girls against you guys."

"Ok. Fine," Jake stated. "But don't start crying when we beat you. You're playing against NCAA champions." The guys all nodded in agreement. Haley rolled her eyes. They had finally won this year. The girls had been so proud of them. At least until they started talking about it nonstop. It's all they heard anymore. _It's nice to see it hasn't gone to their heads_, Haley thought amused.

"We'll see about that," Solaris replied.

"No way. You're not playing," Matt proclaimed. "Didn't you just finish physical therapy?"

"Yes, which means I'll be perfectly fine."

"But—"

"I'm playing," she interrupted while giving him a firm look.

Skills laughed out loud. "I think I'll sit this one out and enjoy the show."

"Alright, everybody in their positions," Brooke ordered.

"I'm watching you, Scott," Haley warned.

"Bring it on, Baby James," Nathan replied. Brooke got her hands on the ball first. However, it wasn't long before Lucas stole it from her.

"Hey!" she objected as she ran after him. Lucas then passed the ball to Jake who later scored with a lay-up. About ten minutes into the game, the guys were already up to eleven points. The girls, however, only had three—thanks to Taylor.

"Time out," Brooke called. "Ladies, huddle."

"They're killings us," Bevin sighed.

"I can't keep picking up all of the slack out there," Taylor said.

"You're not going to have to," Brooke declared. "I've got a plan."

"Which is?" Peyton inquired.

"The guys have an advantage over us. There's no denying it. But that doesn't mean we don't have tricks of our own we can use."

Haley frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Tutor Girl, that it's time we brought out the big guns."

* * *

"I can't believe we lost," Matt mumbled.

"Oh, will you guys get over it already?" Taylor retorted.

"It's just a game," Haley added. It was a couple of hours later, and the whole group was at Karen's Café for dinner. After their intense basketball game, in which the girls ended up winning, everyone went home to shower and change before meeting up again to eat. The boys, however, had been sulking ever since their crushing defeat.

"If you ladies had played fair, we would've won," Jake declared.

Matt shook his head. "I still can't believe you missed that shot Lucas."

"It wasn't my fault. Brooke freaking flashed me!" he defended.

"Hey, there is nothing in the rule book that says that's not allowed," Brooke argued. Her little plan had worked perfectly. The guys were tough players. But as soon as the girls started rubbing up against them and giving them little flashes of naked skin, they were like putty in their hands.

"Yeah, we can't help it if you guys get distracted so easily," Haley added with a teasing smile. She never knew her tattoo would come so in handy. Every time Nathan was guarding her, she made sure to bend over just enough so he'd get the perfect view of it. He practically growled in her ear every time. Even now she could feel his eyes on her.

"I don't care if they won," Chase declared. "We may have lost, but it was a hell of a way to go."

"Hell yeah," Tim agreed.

"Best game I ever watched," Skills joked. Haley sat back and laughed as her friends continued to go back and forth. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later that her eyes settled on something else. She then got up out of her seat and started to walk over there.

"Tutor Girl, where are you going?" Brooke called.

"I just have to check on something. I'll be back in a little while," Haley replied. Afterward, she gave Nathan a pointed look before climbing the staircase to the roof. The miniature golf course was still perfectly intact and just like she remembered.

"Hard to believe that it was around this time last year when everything started between us," Nathan commented from behind her. It felt like another lifetime ago. A second later, she felt his arms wrap around her waist. Haley leaned back against his chest and looked up smiling at him.

"You mean me kicking your ass at miniature golf, you kissing me, and then taking off," she quipped.

Nathan smirked. "Actually, I was thinking it was more along the lines of you wearing that sexy as hell dress, tempting me during our game of miniature golf, me about to lose it while teaching you how to play pretend basketball, and then finally snapping by kissing you."

"Or that," Haley laughed.

"By the way, how did your prediction about kissing a boy come along? Did it finally happen?" Nathan teased.

Haley gave him a smirk of her own. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask your brother." Nathan's smile faltered as his eyes narrowed. She knew that would get him. Less than a second later, he'd spun her around and crashed his lips onto hers. Haley moaned at the intensity before wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

"So, who's the better kisser?" Nathan mumbled against her mouth.

"I don't know. I'm gonna need a little bit more from you before I can make my final decision," she teased.

Nathan practically growled before doing as she requested. One of his hands was buried in her hair while the other arm remained around her waist to keep her close. He then expertly slid his tongue into her mouth. He explored the crevices until her own tongue started to sensually stroke his.

"Well…who's better?" Nathan asked again. He then tore his lips from hers and started to kiss and suck on her neck. Haley clung to him tightly as she practically melted against him.

"Hmm…you. Definitely you," she breathed out. A moan soon followed when he licked the base of her throat and then nipped at it.

"Good answer."

"So, are you going to kiss and run again this time?" Haley asked jokingly.

Nathan pulled away and looked down at her. He then brushed his thumb gently across her cheek. "No. I'll never run again." Haley smiled. "I'm in it for the long haul. So it looks like you're stuck with me now, Baby James."

Haley leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly. "Mmm, sounds great. How did I get so lucky?"

"It helps that you're hott," he joked. Haley whacked his arm playfully as he leaned down to kiss her again.

"However, there is one thing that I still need from you," Nathan stated with a serious expression afterward.

Haley frowned. "What is it?"

"I never did get my rematch. That cow totally cheated last time."

Haley laughed and shook her head. Of course he had to challenge her to another game of miniature golf. "Really? Because I thought it was because you were really bad at it."

"You mock me now, but I can guarantee I'm going to win."

"I don't know. Are you sure you can handle me?"

"I'm positive."

"Ok. But don't think that just because you're my boyfriend now that I'm going to go easy on you."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Alright. Let's get started," Haley declared. She then grabbed a couple of golf clubs and handed one to him. "Show me what you got, Scott."

A little over a half hour later, Haley's hand was covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

"Son of a bitch!" Nathan cursed when the ball, yet again, would not go into the cow's mouth.

"Having a little trouble, honey?"

"Quiet you," he ordered as he concentrated. He hit the ball again and missed. Haley snickered when a stream of obscenities came shooting out of his mouth.

"Need some help?"

"_No_," he stubbornly replied. Six tries later, his ball finally went in. "I hate that stupid cow."

Haley laughed softly to herself as she got ready for her turn. A moment later, she hit her ball. It went sailing straight through the cow's mouth, out its butt, and into the hole.

"Unbelievable," Nathan muttered.

"I believe that's game," Haley said with a triumphant smile.

Nathan couldn't believe he'd lost to her again. He glared murderously at the plastic cow. It was most definitely posessed.

"You're not mad, are you?" Haley questioned as she came to stand in front of him.

Nathan sighed and pulled her into his arms. "No. I could never be mad at you. I love you."

Haley couldn't help the goose bumps that formed on her skin whenever she heard those three little words. They'd been dating for seven months now and still she never tired of hearing them. Haley then kissed him deeply before pulling away. "I love you, too."

Nathan smiled down at her. He couldn't believe what an idiot he'd been last year. He should've never left her after that amazing kiss. He just thanked God that he hadn't been too late in getting her back. He'd already missed out on all of those other years he could've had with Haley, if he'd only noticed her back then. But now, Nathan knew that there was no way he'd ever take her for granted or let her slip away again. She made him so happy. No one else even compared.

"Good. Now how about the best two out of three?"


End file.
